fOKK  MANUALS.     No.  I. 


THE 


PREPARATION  AND  USE 


OF 


CEMENTS  AND  CxLUE. 


By  JOHN  PHIN, 

editor  of  the     young  scientist,"  and  the 
4  American  journal  of  mtcrosoopy." 


NEW  YORK: 
THE   INDUSTRIAL  PUBLICATION  COMPANY. 

1881. 

Copyright  Sccund,  1881,  by  John  Pkin. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2013 


http://archive.org/details/preparationuseofOOphin 


THE 

PREPARATION  AND  USE 

OF 

CEMENTS  AND  GLUE. 

By  JOHN  PHIN, 

EDITOR   OF   THE    "  YOUNG   SCIENTIST,"   AND  THE 
*  'AMERICAN   JOURNAL   OF   MICRoScOPY. " 


NEW   YORK: ■ 
THE  INDUSTRIAL  PUBLICATION  COMPANY, 

1881. 


PEEFAOE. 


Cements  form  such  a  ready  means  of  uniting  the  parts  of  new 
articles,  as  well  as  of  those  which  have  been  broken,  that  there  are 
few  persons  to  whom  a  knowledge  of  the  best  methods  of  preparing 
and  applying  them  would  not  be  useful.  At  present,  such  information 
is  to  be  found  only  in  a  scattered  and  fragmentary  form  in  Cyclopae- 
dias, Handbooks,  and  Journals,  and  no  thorough  and  systematic 
statement  of  the  principles  which  must  be  followed  in  order  to 
secure  success,  can  be  anywhere  found.  Indeed,  so  far  as  we  are 
aware,  the  only  general  articles  that  have  been  published  on  glues 
and  cements  are  those  which  have  been  written  by  the  author  of 
the  present  brochure.  One  of  these  articles  entitled:  "Cements 
and  How  to  Use  Them,"  which  appeared  in  the  Technologist,  Vol.  I, 
1870,  has  formed  the  basis  of  most  of  the  recent  "Introductions," 
to  the  articles  on  cements,  in  the  popular  Books  and  Cyclopaedias  of 
Recipes — Spon,  Dick,  and  others,  having  appropriated  it  without 
acknowledgment.  The  history  of  this  article  was  somewhat  amus- 
ing. Shortly  after  its  appearance  in  the  Technologist,  it  was  copied 
into  the  English  Mechanic  and  architectural  journals,  generally 
without  acknowledgment.  As  soon  as  these  papers  reached  this 
country,  it  was  eagerly  picked  up  by  our  American  journals  and 
copied  by  them,  but  always  credited  to  the  foreign  periodicals. 

The  most  amusing  circumstance,  however,  was  the  fact  that  a 
writer  for  the  mechanical  journals,  finding  it  in  an  obscure  English 
paper,  and  thinking  it  a  good  thing,  made  a  few  slight  changes  in  it, 
and  sent  it  to  us  as  an  original  production.  We  sent  him,  without 
any  comment,  a  copy  of  the  number  containing  the  original  article, 
and  that  was  the  last  we  ever  heard  from  our  correspondent. 

In  preparing  this  little  book  the  utmost  care  has  been  taken  to 
secure  accuracy.  When  we  consider  the  number  of  utterly  worth- 
less recipes  which  have  been  published  with  the  sanction  of 
names  which  stand  high  in  the  mechanical  world,  it  is  no  wonder 
that  even  the  best  collections  have  admitted  useless  formulae  to  their 
pages.  We  believe  that  most  of  the  formulae  here  given  will  do  all 
that  is  claimed  for  them,  and,  wherever  we  have  had  any  doubt  upon 
this  point,  we  have  intimated  it.  The  reliability  of  many  of  the 
recipes  we  know  from  personal  experience. 

During  the  past  dozen  years  the  author  has  contributed  to  the  in- 
dustrial journals  several  articles  upon  glue  and  cements,  and  where 
passages  from  these  articles  have  been  incorporated  in  this  work,  it 
has  not  been  thought  necessary  to  make  special  acknowledgment. 

It  would  have  been  easy  to  have  extended  this  treatise  to  several 
times  the  present  size,  but  we  believe  that  it  now  contains  all  that  is 
generally  useful.  John  Phxn. 

New  York,  May,  1881. 


1 


CEMENTS  AND  GLUE. 


The  term  "  cement "  is  applied  to  two  very  different  articles 
used  in  the  arts.  Sometimes  it  means  those  fine  mortars 
which  are  used  for  uniting  stones  or  bricks  in  building,  and  for 
coating  the  surfaces  of  walls,  floors,  etc.;  at  other  times  it 
means  those  pastes,  glues  and  other  adhesive  substances  which 
are  employed  for  the  purpose  of  uniting  different  pieces  of 
material  together,  and  it  is  in  this  sense  that  we  employ  it  in 
the  following  pages. 

The  number  of  adhesive  cements  which  have  been  discovered 
and  invented,  is  very  large,  so  that  in  order  to  present  them  in 
convenient  form,  they  should  be  properly  classified  and  ar- 
ranged. In  attempting  to  do  this,  however,  we  meet  with  un- 
expected and  serious  difficulties,  from  the  fact  that  there  are  so 
many  systems  according  to  which  the  various  cements  may  be 
arranged,  and  all  apparently  eligible.  Each  of  these  systems 
has  its  own  advantages  and  defects,  and,  unfortunately,  it  is 
impossible  to  so  combine  them  as  to  avoid  these  objections. 
Of  the  several  ways  in  which  cements  might  be  classified,  the 
following  are  examples: 

1.  According  to  their  composition.  Under  this  arrangement 
animal  glues  would  be  placed  in  one  class,  vegetable  gums  in 
another,  resins  in  another  and  so  on. 

2.  According  to  the  purpose  to  which  they  are  to  be  applied; 
those  for  uniting  wood  in  one  class,  those  for  joining  leather  in 
another,  and  so  on. 

3.  According  to  their  behavior  in  drying  or  hardening,  as  is 
more  fully  explained  hereafter. 


8 


CEMENTS  AND  GLUE. 


None  of  these  plans  seem  to  us  to  meet  the  requirements  of 
the  case,  and  therefore  we  shall  adopt  a  less  scientific,  but,  as 
we  think,  a  more  practically  useful  system,  and  arrange  the  dif- 
ferent cements  in  alphabetical  order,  giving  such  indices  and 
cross  references  as  will  enable  any  one  to  turn  at  once  to  the 
formula  which  may  be  needed. 

GENERAL  RULES  FOR  THE  USE  OF  CEMENTS. 

Some  ye*ars  ago  the  writer  called  attention*  to  the  fact  that 
quite  as  much  depends  upon  the  manner  in  which  a  cement  is 
used  as  upon  the  cement  itself.  The  best  cement  that  ever 
was  compounded  would  prove  entirely  worthless  if  improperly 
applied.  Hence  we  constantly  see  failures  occurring  in  the 
use  of  cements,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  we  have  cements 
which  answer  every  reasonable  demand,  when  they  are  pro- 
perly prepared  and  properly  used.  Good  common  glue  will 
unite  two  pieces  of  wood  so  firmly  that  the  fibres  will  part 
from  each  other  rather  than  from  the  cementing  material;  two 
pieces  of  glass  can  be  so  joined  that  they  will  part  anywhere 
rather  than  on  the  line  of  union;  glass  can  be  united  to  metal, 
metal  to  metal,  stone  to  stone,  and  all  so  strongly  that  the 
joint  will  certainly  not  be  the  weakest  part  of  the  resulting 
mass.  But  in  order  to  be  successful  in  the  use  of  any  cement, 
we  must  understand  its  character  and  properties,  and  con- 
form to  them  our  methods  of  application. 

Every  cement  may  be  assigned  to  one  of  four  classes,  accord- 
ing as  it  (1),  Dries  by  evaporation;  (2),  Congeals  by  cooling; 
(3),  Hardens  by  oxidation,  or  (4),  "  Sets  "  by  chemical  changes. 
To  the  first  class  belong  pastes,  mucilages,  alcoholic  and  other 
solutions  of  gums  and  resins,  and,  to  a  certain  extent,  glue.  To 
the  second  belong  such  cements  as  sealing-wax,  turner's  cement, 
shellac,  etc.  The  third  class  includes  gold  size,  drying  oil, 
white  and  red  lead,  etc.,  and  the  fourth  class  covers  plaster- of- 
Paris,  the  so-called  iron  cement,  and  others  of  that  kind. 

*  Technologist,  Vol.  L,  (1870),  page  188. 


CEMENTS  AND  GLUE. 


9 


If  the  best  results  would  be  attained  the  following  rules  must 
be  rigorously  adhered  to: 

1.  The  cement  must  be  brought  into  intimate  contact  with  the 
surface  to  be  united.  Thus,  when  glue  is  employed,  the  surface 
should  be  made  so  warm  that  the  melted  glue  will  not  be  chilled 
before  it  has  time  to  effect  a  thorough  adhesion;  a  drop  of  melted 
glue  allowed  to  simply  fall  on  a  surface  of  dry,  cold  wood  and 
solidify  there,  will  often  fail  to  adhere  at  all,  while  if  the  same 
drop  had  been  rubbed  in,  it  would  have  attached  itself  to  it 
with  wonderful  power  of  adhesion.  The  same  is  more  emi- 
nently true  in  regard  to  cements  that  are  used  in  a  fused 
state,  such  as  mixtures  of  resin,  shellac  and  similar  materials. 
These  matters  will  not  adhere  to  any  substance  unless  the 
latter  has  been  heated  to  nearly  or  quite  the  fusing  point  of 
the  cement  used.  This  fact  was  quite  familiar  to  those  who 
used  sealing-wax  in  the  old  days  of  seals  and  twenty-cent  post- 
age. When  the  seal  was  used  rapidly,  so  as  to  become  heated, 
the  se?Jing-wax  stuck  to  it  with  a  firmness  that  was  annoying, 
so  much  so  that  the  impression  was  in  general  destroyed,  from 
the  simple  fact  that  the  sealing-wax  would  rather  part  in  its 
own  substance  than  at  the  point  of  adhesion  to  the  stamp. 
Sealing-wax,  or  ordinary  electrical  cement,  is  a  very  good  agent 
for  uniting  metal  to  glass  or  stone,  provided  the  masses  to 
be  united  are  made  so  hot  as  to  fuse  the  cement,  but  if  the 
cement  be  applied  to  them  while  they  are  cold,  it  will  not  stick 
at  all.  This  fact  is  well  known  to  the  itinerant  venders  of 
cement  for  uniting  earthenware.  By  heating  two  pieces  of  delf 
so  that  they  will  fuse  shellac,  they  are  able  to  smear  them  with 
a  little  of  this  gum,  and  join  them  so  that  they  will  break  at  any 
other  part  rather  than  along  the  line  of  union.  But  although 
people  constantly  see  the  operation  performed,  and  buy  liber- 
ally of  the  cement,  it  will  be  found  that  in  nine  cases  out  of 
ten  the  cement  proves  worthless  in  the  hands  of  the  purchasers, 
simply  because  they  do  not  know  how  to  use  it.  They  are 
afraid  to  heat  a  delicate  glass  or  porcelain  vessel  to  a  sufficient 
degree,  and  they  are  apt  to  use  too  much  of  the  material,  and 
the  result  is  a  failure. 


10 


(JEMENTS  AND  GLUE\ 


The  great  obstacles  to  the  absolute  contact  of  any  two  sur- 
faces, are  air  and  dirt.  The  former  is  universally  present,  the 
letter,  is  due  to  accident  or  carelessness.  All  surfaces  are 
covered  with  a  thin  adhering  layer  of  air,  which  is  difficult  to 
remove,  and  which,  although  it  may  at  first  sight  seem  im- 
probable, bears  to  the  outer  surface  of  most  bodies  a  relation 
different  from  that  maintained  by  the  air  a  few  lines  away, 
and  until  this  layer  or  film  of  air  has  been  removed,  it  prevents 
the  absolute  contact  of  any  other  substance.  The  reality  of 
the  existence  of  this  adhering  layer  of  air  is  well  known  to  all 
who  are  familiar  with  electrotype  manipulation,  and  it  is  also 
seen  in  the  case  of  highly  polished  metals,  which  may  be  im- 
mersed in  water  without  becoming  wet.  Thus  the  surface  of 
a  needle  retains  this  film  of  air  so  strongly  that  it  will  float  on 
the  surface  of  wrater  rather  than  give  it  up. 

Unless  this  adhering  layer  of  air  is  displaced,  it  will  be  im- 
possible for  any  cement  to  adhere  to  the  surface  to  which  it  is 
applied,  simply  because  it  can  not  come  into  contact  with  it. 

The  most  efficient  agents  in  displacing  this  air  are  heat  and 
pressure.  Metals  warmed  to  a  point  a  little  above  200°  Fahr., 
become  instantly  and  completely  wet  when  immersed  in  water. 
Hence  for  cements  that  are  used  in  a  fused  condition,  heat  is 
the  most  efficient  means  of  bringing  them  in  contact  with  the 
surfaces  to  which  they  are  to  be  applied. 

When  it  is  intended  to  unite  two  pieces  of  earthenware  or 
glass  together,  or  a  piece  of  glass  or  other  substance  to  metal, 
by  means  of  a  cement  that  is  to  be  used  in  a  fused  state,  the 
surfaces  that  are  to  be  united  should  always  be  made  so  hot 
that  the  cement  will  become  perfectly  liquid  when  brought  in 
contact  with  them. 

In  the  case  of  glue,  the  adhesion  is  best  attained  by  pressure 
and  friction,  combined  with  moderate  warmth.  In  large  es- 
tablishments, where  good  glue  joints  are  an  importent  item,  a 
special  room,  carefully  warmed,  is  set  aside  for  this  operation. 

2.  A  very  important  point  is  that  as  little  cement  as  possible 
should  be  used.  When  the  united  surfaces  are  separated  by  a 
large  mass  of  cement,  we  have  to  depend  upon  the  strength  of 


CEMENTS  AND  GLUE. 


11 


tht?  cement  itself,  and  not  upon  its  adhesion  to  the  surfaces 
which  it  is  used  to  join;  and,  in  general,  cements  are  compara- 
tively brittle.  At  first  sight  one  would  suppose  that  the  more 
cement  there  is  used,  the  stronger  will  be  the  joint,  and  this  is 
an  error  into  which  most  inexperienced  persons  fall.  Two 
pieces  of  earthenware,  joined  together  by  a  layer  of  shellac  as 
thin  as  possible,  will  adhere  together  and  will  be  as  strong  at 
the  junction  as  at  any  other  part,  while  the  sajpe  pieces  united 
by  means  of  a  layer  of  the  same  cement  an  eighth  of  an  inch 
thick,  would  fall  apart  on  receiving  the  slightest  jar.  The  rule 
which  directs  us  to  use  as  little  cement  as  possible,  admits  of 
no  exceptions,  and  as  a  general  thing  the  only  way  to  obtain 
thin  layers  of  cements  that  are  to  be  used  in  a  fused  state,  is  to 
heat  thoroughly  the  pieces  that  are  to  be  united,  press  them 
forcibly  together,  and  keep  them  under  pressure  by  means  of 
weights,  screws,  or  cords  until  the  cement  has  hardened. 

3.  The  third  point  to  wThich  we  shall  call  attention  is  the 
necessity  for  cleanliness,  both  in  the  preparation  of  the  cements 
and  in  the  application  of  them.  It  may  be  safely  laid  down  as 
a  positive  rule  that  every  extraneous  substance  that  is  mixed 
with  the  material  of  a  cement  is  an  injury  to  it.  Glue  prepared 
in  a  greasy  pot  cannot  be  expected  to  make  a  strong  joint,  and 
the  presence  of  dust  and  dirt  tends  to  weaken  all  cements.  So, 
too,  in  the  application  of  cements.  If  we  attempt  to  glue  to- 
gether two  surfaces  of  wood  that  are  covered  with  dirt,  the 
substances  that  are  to  be  united  are  not  wood  to  wood,  but 
dirt  to  dirt,  and  the  joint,  instead  of  possessing  the  strength  of 
wood,  united  by  means  of  good  glue,  will  have  simply  the 
strength  of  dirt.  Moreover,  we  must  remember  that  the  differ- 
ent cements  do  not  adhere  with  equal  force  to  substances  of  dif- 
ferent kinds.  Thus,  glue  adheres  powerfully  to  wood  and  paper, 
but  not  at  all  to  metal  or  glass.  Shellac,  if  properly  applied,  ad- 
heres readily  to  earthenware,  glass  and  metal,  but  not  to  some 
other  substances.  If,  then,  we  apply  glue  to  a  greasy  surface 
it  will  not  stick.  Hence  the  necessity  for  great  cleanliness. 
All  surfaces  should  be  kept  as  clean  as  possible,  or  if  they 
should  get  accidentally  soiled,  they  should  be  carefully  cleaned. 


12 


CEMENTS  AND  GLUE. 


The  mere  rubbing  of  two  wooden  surfaces  with  a  dirty  hand 
will  weaken  the  subsequent  glue  joint  by  at  least  ten  per  cent. 

The  most  common  case  in  which  this  rule  is  violated  by  the 
inexperienced  is  in  mending  articles  which  have  been  formerly 
glued  and  have  been  again  broken  at  the  old  place.  Such 
articles  when  first  mended,  frequently  last  for  a  long  time,  but 
when  a  second  attempt  is  made  to  glue  the  pieces  together,  the 
joint  seems  alnqpst  to  fall  to  pieces  of  itself.  Here  we  are  at- 
tempting to  glue  together,  not  two  pieces  of  wood,  but  two 
pieces  of  old  glue,  and  the  result  is  failure.  Soak  off  all  the 
old  glue  (do  not  cut  or  scrape  it,  or  the  pieces  will  no  longer  fit 
accurately  together)  wash  the  surfaces  with  a  sponge  dipped  in 
boiling  water,  and  when  they  are  dry  and  warm,  glue  them  to- 
gether in  the  usual  manner,  and  you  will  be  surprised  at  the 
strength  of  the  joint. 

4.  See  that  the  opposing  surfaces  make  a  close,  neat  joint,  be- 
fore you  attempt  to  cement  them.  Two  pieces  of  wood  that 
are  to  be  glued  together  should  be  planed  up  so  true  that  they 
are  in  contact  at  every  point,  and  where  an  article  has  been 
broken,  the  surfaces  to  be  joined  should  be  preserved  from 
being  broken  or  battered.  This  is  particularly  the  case  when 
articles  of  glass  or  earthenware  are  accidentally  broken,  and  it  is 
not  convenient  to  mend  them  on  the  instant.  They  should  be 
carefully  wrapped  up  in  separate  pieces  of  paper,  and  laid  away 
where  they  will  not  be  soiled,  and  where  the  edges  will  not  be 
chipped.  In  such  cases  the  joint  will  be  greatly  disfigured, 
and  considerably  weakened  if  the  edges  are  chipped  and  broken 
by  careless  handling,  or  by  being  needlessly  and  frequently 
fitted  together.  Keep  the  pieces  from  contact  with  each 
other  and  with  foreign  substances  until  you  are  ready  to 
join  them,  and  the  joint  will  then  be  not  only  strong  but  almost 
invisible. 

5.  Plenty  of  time  should  be  allowed  for  the  cement  to  dry  or 
harden,  and  this  is  particularly  the  case  with  oil  cements,  such 
as  copal  varnish,  boiled  oil,  white  lead,  etc.  These  cements 
are  said  to  dry,  but  they  do  not  dry  by  evaporation.  Instead 
of  losing  anything,  they  actually  gain  in  weight  by  absorbing 


CEMENTS  AND  GLUE. 


Jo 


oxygen  from  the  air,  and  this  process  of  oxidation  is  a  very 
slow  one  except  as  regards  the  very  thin  layer  that  is  in  imme- 
diate contact  with  the  air.  Tims  when  two  surfaces,  each  half  an 
inch  across,  are  joined  by  means  of  a  layer  of  white  lead  placed 
between  them,  six  months  may  elapse  before  the  cement  in  the 
middle  of  the  joint  has  become  hard.  In  snch  cases  a  few 
days  or  weeks  are  of  no  account;  at  the  end  of  a  month  the  joint 
will  be  weak  and  easily  separated,  while  at  the  end  of  two 
or  three  years  it  may  be  so  firm  that  the  material  will  part  any- 
where else  than  at  the  joint.  Hence,  where  the  article  is  to  be 
used  immediately,  the  only  safe  cements  are  those  which  are 
liquified  by  heat  and  which  become  hard  when  cold.  A  joint 
made  with  marine  glue  is  firm  an  hour  after  it  has  been  made. 
Next,  in  rapidity  of  hardening,  to  cements  that  are  liquified  by 
heat,  are  those  which  consist  of  substances  dissolved  in  wTater 
or  alcohol.  A  glue  joint  sets  firmly  in  twenty-four  hours;  a 
joint  made  with  shellac  varnish  becomes  dry  in  two  or  three 
days.  Oil  cements,  (boiled  oil,  white  lead,  red  lead,  etc.),  take 
months. 

6  Where  neatness  as  well  as  strength,  is  an  object,  it  will 
often  be  advisable  to  use  a  cement  of  a  color  as  nearly  like 
that  of  the  materials  to  be  united  as  possible.  Thus  a  white 
porcelain  cup,  mended  with  black  cement,  would  show  some 
very  ugly  lines.  If,  however,  a  white  cement  be  used,  the  lines 
of  fracture  will  be  invisible.  The  same  rule  applies  to  other 
articles,  and  it  is  always  easy  to  color  a  cement  to  any  desired 
tint. 

The  following  recipes  and  formulae  have  been  selected  from 
the  many  thousands  that  have  been  published  as  being  thor- 
oughly trustworthy  and  efficient.  We  give  one  or  two  popular 
recipes  in  which,  however,  as  we  state,  we  have  no  great  faith. 
Some  we  have  marked  doubtful;  others  we  give  on  the  general 
authority — " it  is  said."  For  ease  of  reference  we  have  num- 
bered the  formulae  consecutively  from  the  beginning  to  the 
end  of  the  volume. 


14 


CEMENTS  AND  GLUJt 


FOEMUL^E  FOE  CEMENTS. 


Acacia  Gum.   See  Gum. 
Alabaster  Cement. 

Cements  for  uniting  pieces  of  alabaster,  marble,  Derbyshire 
spar,  and  other  kinds  of  white  stone,  are  in  frequent  demand. 
The  following  recipes  give  satisfactory  results.  Those  contain- 
ing resin  must  be  applied  hot,  and  the  pieces  to  be  joined  must 
also  be  heated  up  to  the  melting  point  of  resin. 

1.  Plaster-of-Paris  made  into  a  cream  with  water.  This 
cement  sets  in  a  few  minutes,  but  it  does  not  become  perfectly 
hard  for  several  days,  or  until  it  has  become  thoroughly  dry. 

2.  Yellow  resin,  2  parts;  melt  and  stir  in  1  part  of  plaster-of- 
Paris,  which  has  been  thoroughly  dried  and  heated. 

3.  Yellow  resin,  beeswax  and  plaster-of -Paris,  equal  parts. 

4.  Besin,  8  parts;  wax,  1  part;  melt  and  stir  in  4  parts  of 
plaster- of -Paris. 

Amber  Cement. 

5.  Two  surfaces  of  amber  may  be  united  by  smearing  them 
with  boiled  linseed  oil,  pressing  them  strongly  together,  and 
heating  them  over  a  clear  charcoal  fire.  To  keep  the  parts  in 
firm  contact,  it  may  be  well  to  tie  them  with  the  soft  iron  wire 
known  as  binding  wire. 

Architectural  Cement. 

Architectural  cement  is  a  kind  of  papier-mache,  and  is  used 
for  making  entire  models,  busts,  ornaments,  etc.,  rather  than 
for  uniting  the  parts  of  any  article.  It  is  very  light  and  takes 
a  good  polish,  but  is  easily  affected  by  moisture. 

6.  Reduce  paper  to  a  smooth  pulp  by  boiling  it  in  water  and 
work  it  over.  Squeeze  this  paste  dry,  and  add  an  equal  bulk  of 
whiting.  Then  mix  the  whole  into  a  paste  of  the  required  con- 
sistence with  good  size  or  solution  of  glue. 

7.  Same  as  number  6,  but  with  plaster-of-Paris  instead  of 
whiting. 


Cements  and  glue. 


15 


Aquarium  Cement. 

This  term  has  been  applied  to  various  water-proof  cements 
which  have  been  used  for  joining  the  sides,  ends,  etc.,  of  tanks 
for  holding  water  for  various  purposes.  The  following  are 
some  of  the  best. 

8.  Take  of  finely  powdered  litharge,  fine,  white,  dry  sand,  and 
plaster-of-Paris,  each  3  parts,  by  measure;  finely  pulverized 
resin,  1  part.  Mix  thoroughly  and  make  into  a  paste  with 
boiled  linseed  oil  to  which  dryer  has  been  added.  Beat  the 
mixture  well,  and  let  it  stand  four  or  five  hours  before  using  it. 
After  it  has  stood  for  15  hours,  however,  it  loses  its  strength. 
When  well  made,  of  good  materials,  this  cement  will  unite  glass 
and  iron  so  firmly  that  the  glass  will  often  split  in  its  own  sub- 
stance, rather  than  part  from  the  cement.  We  have  united  five 
plates  of  glass  with  this  cement  alone,  and  without  any  frame, 
so  as  to  form  a  durable  tank  holding  5  gallons  of  water. 
Glass  cemented  into  its  frame  with  this  cement  is  good  for 
either  salt  or  fresh  water.  It  has  been  used  at  the  Zoological 
Gardens,  London,  with  great  success.  It  might  be  useful  for 
stopping  leaks  in  roofs  and  other  situations. 

9.  GuUa-Percha  Cement. — This  highly  recommended  cement 
is  made  by  melting  together,  in  an  iron  pan,  2  parts  common 
pitch  and  1  part  gutta-percha,  and  stirring  them  well  together 
until  thoroughly  incorporated,  and  then  pouring  the  liquid  into 
cold  water.  When  cold  it  is  black,  solid,  and  elastic;  but  it 
softens  with  heat,  and  may  be  used  as  a  soft  paste,  or  in  the 
liquid  state  as  is  most  suitable.  It  does  not  harden  and  crack, 
and  answers  an  excellent  purpose  in  cementing  metal,  glass, 
porcelain,  ivory,  etc.  It  may  be  used  instead  of  putty  for  glaz- 
ing windows. 

10.  Eed  lead.  3  parts;  litharge,  1  part;  made  into  a  paste  or 
putty  with  raw  linseed  oil. 

11.  A  cement  which  gradually  hardens  to  a  strong  consistence 
may  be  made  by  mixing  20  parts  of  clean  river  sand,  2  of 
litharge,  and  1  of  quick  lime,  into  a  thin  putty  with  linseed  oil. 
When  this  cement  is  applied  to  mend  broken  pieces  of  stone, 
as  steps  of  stairs,  it  acquires,  after  some  time,  a  stony  hardness, 
and  unites  the  parts  with  great  firmness. 

12.  It  is  said  that  a  cement  of  great  adhesiveness  may  be 
made  by  mixing  six  parts  of  powdered  graphite  with  three 
parts  of  slacked  lime,  eight  parts  of  sulphate  of  baryta,  and 
seven  parts  of  linseed-oil  varnish.  The  mixture  must  be  stirred 
to  uniform  consistency. 

Arabic  Gum.  {See  Gum.) 


16 


CEMENTS  AND  GLUE. 


Armenian  Cement— Diamond  Cement. 

13.  The  jewellers  of  Turkey,  who  are  mostly  Armenians,  have 
a  singular  method  of  ornamenting  watch  cases,  etc.,  with  dia- 
monds and  other  precious  stones,  by  simply  gluing  or  cement- 
ing them  on.  The  stone  is  set  in  gold  or  silver,  and  the  lower 
part  of  the  metal  made  flat,  or  to  correspond  with  that  part  to 
which  it  is  to  be  fixed.  It  is  then  warmed  gently  and  the  glue 
applied,  which  is  so  very  strong  that  the  parts  thus  cemented 
never  separate.  For  this  glue,  which  will  firmly  unite  bits  of  glass 
and  even  polished  steel,  and  which  may,  of  course,  be  applied 
to  a  vast  variety  of  useful  purposes,  a  large  number  of  formulae 
have  been  published.  The  following  is  the  original  recipe, 
which  we  have  traced  through  various  chemical  works  back 
to  the  end  of  the  last  century:  Dissolve  five  or  six  bits 
of  gum  mastic,  each  the  size  of  a  large  pea,  in  as  much  alcohol 
as  will  suffice  to  render  them  liquid;  in  another  vessel  dissolve  as 
much  isinglass,  previously  a  little  softened  in  water,  (though 
none  of  the  water  must  be  used),  in  good  brandy  or  rum,  as 
will  make  a  two-ounce  phial  of  very  strong  glue,  adding  two 
small  bits  of  gum  galbanum,  or  ammoniacum,  which  must  be 
rubbed  or  ground  until  they  are  dissolved.  Then  mix  the 
whole  with  a  sufficient  heat,  keep  the  glue  in  a  phial  closely 
stoppered,  and  when  it  is  to  be  used,  set  the  phial  in  boiling 
water.  To  avoid  the  cracking  of  the  phial  by  exposure  to'such 
sudden  heat,  use  a  thin,  green,  glass  phial,  and  hold  it  in 
the  steam  for  a  few  seconds  before  immersing  it  in  the  hot 
water. 

The  following  recipes  also  give  very  excellent  results: 

14.  Dr.  Tire's  Formula. — Isinglass,  1  oz. ;  distilled  water, 
6  oz. ;  boil  to  3  oz.,  and  add  rectified  spirit,  \\  oz. ;  boil  for  a 
minute  or  two,  strain  and  add  while  hot,  first,  a  milky  emulsion 
of  ammoniac,  \  oz.,  and  then  tincture  of  mastic,  5  dr. 

15.  Keller's  Formula. — Soak  \  oz.  of  isinglass  in  4  oz. 
water,  for  24  hours;  evaporate  in  a  water  bath  to  2  oz.,  add 

2  oz.  rectified  spirit  (alcohol  85  per  cent.),  and  strain  through 
linen.  Mix  this  solution  while  warm  with  a  solution  of  best 
gum  mastic  in  2  oz.  alcohol;  add  1  dr.  powdered  gum  am- 
moniac, and  triturate  together  until  perfectly  incorporated, 
avoiding  loss  of  the  alcohol  by  evaporation  as  much  as  pos- 
sible. 

16.  Isinglass  dissolved  in  alcohol  (by  first  soaking  in  water) 

3  oz. ;  bottoms  of  mastic  varnish  (thick  but  clear),  1\  oz. ;  mix 
well. 


CEMENTS  AND  GLUE. 


Bad  ig  eon. 

17.  A  cement  used  for  filling  up  holes  and  covering  defects  in 
mechanical  work.  The  most  commonly  used  is  putty,  colored 
to  suit.  Statuaries  use  a  mixture  of  plaster  and  freestone  for 
this  purpose;  carpenters,  a  mixture  of  saw  dust  and  glue;  coop- 
ers, a  mixture  of  tallow  and  chalk.  The  same  name  is  given  to 
a  stone-colored  mixture  used  for  the  fronts  of  houses,  and  of 
which  the  published  composition  is  wood-dust  and  lime, 
slaked  together,  stone-powder,  and  a  little  umber  or  sienna 
mixed  up  with  alum  water  to  the  consistence  of  cement.  The 
real  composition  is  probably  some  good  hydraulic  cement 
colored  to  suit.    See  also  Mahogany  Cement. 

Botany  Bay  Cement. 

18.  This  is  composed  of  equal  parts  of  yellow  gum  (Botany 
Bay  gum),  and  brick  dust  melted  together.  Botany  Bay  gum  is 
a  gum  resin  produced  by  a  plant  which  grows  in  New  Holland. 

Bottle  Cement. 

19.  In  the  better  class  of  preparations,  good  sealing  wax  is 
used  when  the  object  is  merely  to  ornament  the  cork.  Where 
it  is  desired  to  close  the  pores  of  cork  hermetically,  a  softer  and 
more  tenacious  cement  should  be  used,  Chemical  cement  (40) 
or  Glycerine  cement  (77)  are  good.  The  following  are  well 
tried  recipes  for  bottle  cement  or  bottle  wax. 

20.  Shellac,  2  lbs. ;  resin,  4  lbs;  Venice  turpentine,  l£  lbs. ;  red 
lead,  l£  lbs.  Fuse  the  shellac  and  resin  cautiously  in  a  copper 
pan  over  the  fire;  when  melted  add  the  turpentine,  and  lastly 
the  red  lead,  which  should  be  dry  and  warm.  Pour  into  moulds, 
or  make  it  into  sticks  by  rolling  on  a  marble  slab.  Care  must 
be  taken  to  have  the  red  lead  equally  diffused  through  the 
melted  mass  by  constant  stirring,  as  owing  to  its  great  specific 
gravity  it  is  apt  to  sink  to  the  bottom. 

21.  Besin  and  beeswax,  equal  parts;  melt  them  together  and 
add  sufficient  Venetian  red  to  give  a  good  color,  and  enough 
neatsfoot  oil  to  prevent  its  being  brittle  when  cold. 

22.  Sealing  wax,  1  lb;  resin,  1  lb;  beeswax,  8  ounces;  melt 
together.  Bottles  may  be  sealed  by  dipping  the  corks  in  this 
melted  mixture.  If  it  froths,  add  a  very  small  piece  of  tallow 
and  stir. 

23.  Besin,  15  parts;  tallow,  4;  beeswax,  2;  melt  and  color 
with  red  ochre  or  ivory  black. 

24.  Black  pitch,  6  lbs;  ivory  black  and  whiting,  each  1  lb. 
Melt  the  pitch  and  add  the  other  ingredients  hot  and  dry. 


18 


CEMENTS  AND  GLTJE. 


25.  Maissiafs  Cement. — India-rubber  is  melted  either  witli 
or  without  about  15  per  cent  of  either  beeswax  or  tallow; 
quicklime  in  fine  powder  is  gradually  added,  and  the  heat  con- 
tinued until  change  of  odor  shows  that  combination  has  taken 
place,  and  until  a  proper  consistence  is  obtained.  Used  as  a 
waterproof  and  air  tight  covering  for  corks,  bungs,  etc. 

(26).  Copal  varnish  made  thick  with  zinc  white,  red  lead, 
ivory  black  or  any  other  color  and  applied  like  a  paint. 

Brimstone  Cement. 

27.  Roll  sulphur  is  frequently  used  alone  as  a  cement  for  fas- 
tening iron  bars  in  holes  drilled  in  stone.  The  addition  of  brick 
dust,  sand  or  resin,  lessens  its  liability  to  crack.  When  the  yel- 
low color  of  brimstone  is  an  objection,  a  little  plumbago  may  be 
mixed  with  it. 

British  Gum.    See  Dextrine. 

Buckland's  Cement. 

28.  White  sugar,  1  oz. ;  starch,  3  oz. ;  gum  arabic,  4  oz.  These 
should  all  be  separately  reduced  to  a  very  fine  powder,  and  then 
rubbed  well  together  in  a  dry  mortar;  then  little  by  little  add 
cold  water  until  the  mass  is  of  the  thickness  of  melted  glue;  put 
in  a  wide  mouthed  bottle  and  cork  closely.  The  dry  powder 
itself,  thoroughly  ground  and  mixed,  may  be  kept  for  any 
length  of  time  in  a  wide-mouthed  bottle,  and  when  wanted  a 
little  may  be  mixed  with  water  with  a  stiff  brush.  It  answers 
ordinarily  for  all  the  purposes  for  which  mucilage  is  used,  and 
as  a  cement  for  labels  it  is  specially  good,  as  it  does  not  become 
brittle  and  crack  off. 

Canada  Balsam. 

29.  This  material  forms  a  very  useful  cement  for  many  pur- 
poses. It  is  the  only  cement  employed  by  opticians  for  uniting 
the  lenses  of  achromatic  objectives.  For  this  purpose  it  must 
be  pure  and  colorless.  It  is  easily  bleached  by  exposure  to 
sunlight.    If  too  thick,  it  may  be  thinned  with  benzole. 

In  cementing  the  two  parts  of  an  achromatic  lens  together, 
the  surfaces  should  be  thoroughly  cleaned,  and  the  glasses  hav- 
ing been  previously  warmed,  should  be  laid  on  some  surface 
which  will  not  scratch  them.  By  means  of  a  rod  of  glass  or 
metal,  place  a  drop  of  balsam  on  the  centre  of  one  lens,  and 
then  gently  lower  the  other  down  upon  it.  Now  apply  a  slight 
pressure,  and  the  dark  disc  in  the  centre,  indicative  of  optical 
contact,  will  rapidly  increase  in  size,  until  at  last  the  balsam 
reaches  the  margin  and  begins  to  ooze  out  at  the  edges,  if  the 
balsam  be  in  excess,  as  it  ought  to  be.    By  means  of  a, 


CEMENTS  AND  GLUE. 


19 


piece  of  soft  string,  if  the  lenses  are  large,  or  a  spring  clip, 
if  they  be  small,  the  lenses  should  be  held  firmly  together  and 
exposed  to  a  gentle  heat  in  an  oven  that  is  cooling,  or  before  a 
fire,  until  the  balsam  at  the  edges  has  become  hard  and  dry. 
The  string  or  clip  may  then  be  removed,  and  all  external  traces 
of  balsam  removed,  first  by  scraping,  and  afterwards  with  a  little 
benzole  or  ether.  The  above  directions,  modified  to  suit  cir- 
cumstances, apply  to  the  cementing  of  glasses  for  transparencies 
or  opal  pictures;  also  to  the  varnishing  of  magic  lantern  slides, 
and  the  protection  of  any  transparent  surfaces  from  the  air. 

30.  Canada  balsam  forms  a  very  efficient  and  easily  applied 
cement  for  the  construction  of  small  tanks  used  by  micro- 
scopists  for  keeping  minute  plants  and  animals  alive  in  water. 

Caoutchouc.  See  India  Rubber. 

Cap  Cements. 

These  cements  are  so  called  because  they  are  used  for  fixing 
brass  caps,  stop  cocks,  etc.,  on  glass  apparatus.  There  are 
two  kinds  of  cement  in  use  for  this  purpose;  one  consists  of 
resin  and  other  matters,  and  is  fusible  by  heat,  so  that  it  is  easily 
applied,  takes  very  little  time  to  harden,  and  if  the  glass  should 
get  broken,  or  if  the  brass  work  requires  to  be  changed,  it  is  very 
easy  to  separate  the  parts  by  the  action  of  heat.  When  pro- 
perly applied,  this  cement  is  perfectly  air  tight,  and  is  very 
strong.  The  only  objection  to  it  is  that  it  is  easily  softened  by 
heat,  and,  therefore,  it  cannot  be  used  for  apparatus  to  which 
heat  is  to  be  applied.  For  air  pumps  and  other  pneumatic  ap- 
paratus, and  similar  purposes,  it  answers  perfectly.  The  other 
cement  consists  of  white  or  red  lead  ground  in  boiled  oil,  and 
applied  either  to  the  naked  surfaces,  or  by  spreading  it  on  a 
cloth,  which  is  then  placed  between  the  surfaces  to  be  united. 
The  advantages  of  this  kind  of  cement  is  that  it  will  stand  any 
heat  below  300°  Fahr.,  and  that  it  is  steam  and  air  tight.  The 
objections  are  that  it  takes  a  long  time  to  dry,  and  that  when 
it  has  been  used  to  unite  pieces  of  apparatus,  it  is  almost  im- 
possible to  separate  the  parts  without  breaking  the  glass.  This 
may  occasionally  be  effected,  however,  either  by  heating  the 
joint  very  strongly  or  by  soaking  in  solution  of  caustic  potash 
or  soda. 


20 


CEMENTS  AND  GLUE. 


31.  Faraday's  Cap  Cement. — Electrical  Cement  -—Resin,  5  oz.; 
beeswax,  1  oz. ;  red  oclire  or  Venetian  red  in  powder,  1  oz.  Dry 
the  earth  thoroughly  on  a  stove  at  a  temperature  above  212°. 
Melt  the  wax  and  resin  together  and  stir  in  the  powder  by  de- 
grees. Stir  until  cold,  lest  the  earthy  matter  settle  to  the 
bottom.  Used  for  fastening  brass  work  to  glass  tubes,  flasks, 
etc. 

Faraday's  directions  for  fastening  caps  to  the  ends  of  tubes 
or  retorts  are  as  follows:  "  One  is  to  be  selected  of  such  size  as 
to  admit  the  tube  and  allow  a  space  for  cement  about  the  thick- 
ness of  a  card  or  a  little  more,  but  the  cap  should  never  be  so 
small  as  itself  to  gripe  the  glass,  or  any  larger  than  is  necessary 
to  allow  room  for  cement  to  surround  the  glass.  The  cement 
should  be  heated  to  fluidity  on  the  sand  bath,  but  not  to  a  greater 
degree;  the  cap  should  be  wrarmed  over  a  candle  or  lamp  until 
it  is  hot  enough  to  melt  cement,  and  then  that  part  of  its  in- 
terior which  is  intended  to  come  against  the  glass,  viz;  the 
sides  of  the  cylinder,  should  be  covered  with  the  hot  cement, 
applied  by  a  piece  of  stick.  The  cap  being  then  laid  on  its 
side  by  the  sand-bath  to  keep  it  from  cooling,  the  end  of  the 
tube  or  retort  is  next  to  be  warmed,  and  a  coat  of  cement  ap- 
plied on  the  exterior,  over  every  part  which  is  to  come  into 
juxtaposition  with  the  cap,  but  the  other  parts  are  not  to  be 
unnecessarily  soiled;  so  much  cement  is  to  be  left  adher- 
ing to  the  glass,  that  with  what  there  is  in  the  cap,  there 
may  be  an  excess  above  the  quantity  that  can  be  retained  be- 
tween the  glass  and  metal  when  the  twro  are  fitted  together. 
When  the  cap,  glass  and  cement  are  all  so  warm  that  the  latter 
is  fluid  or  very  soft,  the  cap  is  to  be  placed  upon  the  tube, 
thrust  into  its  right  position,  receiving  a  little  rotary  motion, 
at  the  same  time  to  distribute  the  cement  equally  over  all  parts, 
and  is  afterwards  to  be  set  aside  to  cool.  When  this  is  well 
performed,  the  retort  neck  or  tube  should  pass  along  until  it  is 
stopped  by  the  inside  of  the  shoulder;  no  cement  should  soil 
its  interior  or  project  within  the  cap,  but  it  should  fill  every 
part  between  the  glass  and  the  cap  to  make  a  firm,  tight  junc- 
tion, and  project  in  a  ring  from  the  edge  of  the  cap  over  the 
exterior  of  the  glass.  The  superabundance  is  easily  removed 
by  a  knife,  and  the  annular  surface  left  made  smooth  and  tight 
by  a  hot-wire  passed  rapidly  over  it.  If  a  piece  of  cement, 
pushed  on  by  the  edge  of  the  glass,  project  in  the  inside  of  the 
cap,  it  should  when  nearly  cold,  be  cut  off  by  a  knife  and  re- 
moved, so  that  no  loose  fragment  may  remain  in  the  retort  or 
tube." 

32.  Varletfs  Cement. — Take  whiting,  dry  it  thoroughly  at  a. 


CEMENTS  AND  GLUE. 


21 


red  heat,  and  reduce  it  to  very  fine  powder.  Melt  together  16 
parts  of  bl«*ck  resin,  and  1  part  of  beeswax,  and  stir  into  the 
melted  mass  16  parts  of  the  dry  and  warm  whiting,  which 
should  not  be  so  hot  as  to  effect  the  resin,  however. 

33.  Singer's  Electrical  Cement. — Take  of  resin,  20  parte 
beeswax,  4  j^arts ;  red  ochre,  4  parts;  plaster-of-Paris,  1  part. 
Dry  the  powders  thoroughly,  and  add  them  while  warm  to  the 
melted  resin  and  wax. 

34.  A  cheaper  cement,  for  lining  voltaic  troughs,  is  made  of 
6  lbs.  resin;  1  lb.  red  ochre;  \  lb.  plaster-of-Paris,  and  \  lb. 
linseed  oil.  The  ochre  and  plaster  should  be  thoroughly  dried 
and  heated,  and  added  to  the  other  ingredients  in  their  melted 
state. 

35.  Cap  Cement  for  Temperatures  from  212°  to  300°  Fahr.—For 
cementing  glass  tubes,  necks  of  balloons,  etc.,  into  metal 
mountings,  where  the  apparatus  is  to  be  exposed  to  heat,  a  mix- 
ture of  equal  parts  of  red  and  white  lead  is  preferable  to  white 
lead  alone.  If  possible  the  surface  of  the  glass  should  be 
roughened,  and  a  little  tow  wrapped  round  the  part  where  the 
cement  is  to  be  applied.  This  cement  takes  some  time  to  ac- 
quire its  full  degree  of  hardness.  In  a  week  it  will  stand  boil- 
ing water;  in  a  month  it  will  resist  steam  at  300°. 

Casein  Cements. 

Casein  or  cheese  has  long  been  used  for  forming  cements, 
either  in  combination  with  quick-lime,  borax,  or  more  recently, 
with  silicate  of  soda.  The  most  important  point  that  requires 
attention,  in  order  to  secure  success,  is  the  freeing  of  the  casein 
from  all  oily  matter.  Therefore,  when  curd  is  prepared  from 
milk,  use  only  the  most  carefully  skimmed  milk,  quite  free 
from  cream.  When  cheese  is  used,  select  the  poorest  and  wash 
it  carefully. 

36.  Cheese  Cement  for  Mending  China,  etc. — Take  skim  milk 
cheese  cut  it  in  slices  and  boil  it  in  water.  "Wash  it  in  cold 
water  and  knead  it  in  warm  water  several  times.  Place  it 
warm  on  a  levigating  stone  and  knead  it  with  quicklime.  It 
will  join  marble,  stone  or  earthenware  so  that  the  joining  is 
scarcely  to  be  discovered.    See  Parabolic  Cement. 

37.  Casein  and  Soluble  Glass. — Casein  dissolved  in  soluble 
silicate  of  soda  or  potassa,  makes  a  very  strong  cement  for  glass 
or  porcelain.  Take  casein,  free  from  fat,  and  washed  until  no 
longer  acid,  and  silicate  of  soda  solution  (waterglass)  of  each  as 
much  as  may  be  needed.    Fill  a  bottle  to  one-fourth  of  its 


22  CEMENTS  AND  GLUE. 

height  with  damp  casein;  then  fill  the  flask  with  silicate  of  soda 
(waterglass),  and  shake  frequently  until  the  casein  is  dissolved. 

38.  Casein  Mucilage. — Take  the  curd  of  skim-milk  (carefully 
freed  from  cream  or  oil),  wash  it  thoroughly  and  dissolve  it 
to  saturation  in  cold  concentrated  solution  of  borax.  This 
mucilage  keeps  well,  and  as  regards  adhesive  power,  far  sur- 
passes the  mucilage  of  gum  arabic.  It  forms  a  valuable  pre- 
paration for  the  laboratory,  as  when  spread  on  strips  of  bladder 
it  may  be  used  to  stop  cracks  in  glass  vessels,  and  will  resist 
considerable  heat. 

39.  Add  £  pint  of  vinegar  to  £  pint  skimmed  milk;  when  the 
curd  has  settled  pour  off  the  liquid,  and  wash  the  curd  until 
free  from  acid.  Add  the  whites  of  five  eggs  and  beat  thoroughly; 
mix  with  sufficient  finely  powdered  quicklime  to  form  a 
paste.  This  is  an  excellent  cement  for  mending  glass  and 
earthenware.    It  resists  water  and  a  moderate  degree  of  heat. 

Chemical  Cement. 

40.  Melt  yellow  beeswax  with  its  weight  of  turpentine,  and 
color  with  finely  powdered  Venetian  red.  When  cold  it  has  the 
hardness  of  soap,  but  is  easily  softened  and  moulded  with  the 
fingers,  and  for  sticking  things  together  temporarily  it  is  in- 
valuable. 

The  consistence  of  the  cement  may  be  varied  by  changing  the 
proportions  of  turpentine  and  wax,  and  if  a  very  firm  cement 
is  needed,  a  little  resin  may  be  added. 

Chinese  Cement— Schio-liao. 

41.  To  three  parts  of  fresh  beaten  blood  are  added  four  parts 
of  slaked  lime  and  a  little  alum;  a  thin,  pasty  mass  is  produced, 
which  can  be  used  immediately.  Objects  which  are  to  be  made 
specially  water-proof  are  painted  by  the  Chinese  twice,  or  at 
the  most  three  times.  Dr.  Scherzer  saw  in  Pekin  a  wooden 
box  which  had  travelled  the  tedious  road  via  Siberia  to  St. 
Petersburg  and  back,  which  was  found  to  be  perfectly  sound 
and  water-proof.  Even  baskets  made  of  straw  became,  by  the 
use  of  this  cement,  perfectly  serviceable  in  the  transportation 
of  oil.  Pasteboard  treated  therewith  receives  the  appearance 
and  strength  of  wood.  Most  of  the  wooden  public  buildings 
of  China  are  painted  with  schio-liao.  which  gives  them  an  un- 
pleasant reddish  appearance,  but  adds  to  their  durability. 
This  cement  was  tried  in  the  Austrian  Department  of  Agricul- 
ture, and  by  the  ''Vienna  Association  of  Industry,"  and  in 
both  cases  the  statements  of  Dr.  Scherzer  were  found  to  be 
strictly  accurate. 


CEMENTS  AND  GLUE. 


23 


Chinese  Glue* 

42.  Shellac  dissolved  in  alcohol.  Used  for  joining  wood, 
earthenware,  glass,  etc.  This  cement  requires  considerable 
time  to  become  thoroughly  hard,  and  even  then  is  not 
as  strong  as  good  glue.  Its  portability  is  its  only  recommen- 
dation. 

Coppersmith's  Cement. 

43.  Powdered  quicklime  mixed  with  bullock's  blood  and  ap- 
plied immediately.    See  Chinese  Cement. 

Corks,  Cement  For 

44.  To  render  corks  impervious  to  air,  acids,  alkalies  and  cor- 
rosive liquors  generally,  boil  them  for  some  time  in  melted 
paraffine.  They  must  be  kept  under  the  surface  of  the  melted 
material,  and  should  be  heated  and  allowed  to  cool  several 
times,  so  as  to  get  all  the  air  out  of  the  pores.  Corks  thus 
treated  cut  easily  and  make  vary  close  joints.  For  cements  for 
coating  cork,  see  Bottle  Cement. 

Curd  Cement.    See  Casein. 

Cutler's  Cement. 

This  is  the  name  given  to  various  kinds  of  cement  used  for 
fastening  knives,  etc. ,  in  their  handles. 

45.  A  very  firm  cement  is  made  of  4  parts  resin,  1  of  bees- 
wax, into  which,  when  melted,  1  part  of  fine  brick  dust  is 
stirred.    It  adheres  with  great  firmness. 

46.  Take  powdered  resin  and  mix  with  it  a  small  quantity 
of  powdered  chalk,  whiting  or  slaked  lime.  Fill  the  hole  in 
the  handle  with  the  mixture,  heat  the  tang  of  the  knife 
or  fork,  and  thrust  in.  When  cold  it  will  be  securely 
fastened. 

47.  Take  one  lb.  resin  and  8  oz.  sulphur,  melt  together,  form 
into  bars,  or  when  cold  reduce  to  powder.  One  part  of  the 
powder  is  to  be  mixed  with  half  a  part  of  iron  fillings,  brick 
dust  or  fine  sand;  fill  the  cavity  of  the  handle  with  the  mixture 
and  insert  the  tang,  previously  heated. 

48.  Pitch,  4  parts;  resin,  4;  tallow,  2;  brick  dust,  2.  Melt 
the  first  three  ingredients  and  add  the  brick  dust  hot  and  finely 
powdered. 

49.  Chopped  hair,  flax,  hemp  or  tow,  mixed  with  powdsred 
resin  and  applied  as  above. 

Diamond  Cement.    See  Armenian  Cement. 


24 


CEMENTS  AND  GLUE. 


Dextrine. 

50.  This  is  prepared  from  starch  by  the  action  of  heat,  dias- 
tase, or  acids,  and  is  sometimes  called  starch  gum  and  British  gum. 
As  usually  sold,  it  is  a  whitish,  insipid  powder,  having  a 
pleasant  odor  of  cucumbers.  It  is  soluble  in  cold  and  hot 
water,  and  in  very  dilute  alcohol,  but  it  is  insoluble  in  strong 
alcohol  and  ether. 

In  France  it  is  largely  employed  by  pastry  cooks  and  con- 
fectioners, and  by  surgeons,  as  a  stiffening  for  the  splints  used 
for  fractured  limbs.  It  has  also  been  made  up  into  roundish 
masses  and  sold  for  gum  Arabic. 

It  is  said  to  be  used  by  the  British  for  "gumming"  their 
postage  stamps,  but  careful  trial  has  convinced  us  that  the  best 
specimens  in  market  are  not  equal  to  good  gum  Arabic.  It  is 
cheaper,  however,  and  for  ordinary  purposes  is  strong  enough. 

Dextrine  is  easily  prepared  for  use.  It  may  be  mixed  with 
cold  water  and  stirred  or  beaten  for  a  few  moments,  when  it  will 
dissolve  very  completely.  It  may  be  used  immediately,  or  it 
may  be  boiled.    This  we  think  improves  it. 

Egg  Cement. 

A  number  of  very  cohesive  cements,  impervious  to  water  and 
most  liquids  and  vapors,  for  a  short  time,  are  made  by  the 
union  of  quicklime  with  many  of  the  vegetable  and  animal 
mucilages  and  glues.  The  following  is  said  by  Aiken  to  have 
been  extensively  employed  by  chemists  for  centuries  under  the 
name  of  "  egg  cement." 

51.  Take  some  white  of  eggs  with  as  much  water,  beat  them 
well  together,  and  sprinkle  in  sufficient  slaked  lime  to  make 
the  whole  up  to  the  consistence  of  thin  paste.  This  cement 
sets  or  becomes  hard  very  quickly,  and  must  be  used  at  once. 
It  is  employed  to  mend  earthenware,  china,  glass,  marble,  ala- 
baster, spar  ornaments,  etc.  Although  waterproof  to  a  certain 
extent,  it  does  not  resist  moisture  long  unless  it  has  been  ex- 
posed to  heat. 

_  52.  Take  freshly  burnt  plaster-of-Paris,  5  parts;  freshly  burnt 
lime,  1  part;  white  of  egg  as  much  as  may  be  needed.  Reduce 
the  two  first  ingredients  to  a  very  fine  powder  and  mix  them 
well;  moisten  the  two  surfaces  to  be  united  with  a  small  quan- 
tity of  white  of  egg,  to  make  them  adhesive;  then  mix  the 
powder  very  rapidly  with  white  of  egg,  and  apply  the  mix- 
ture to  the  broken  surfaces.  If  they  are  large,  two  persons 
should  do  this,  each  applying  the  cement  to  one  portion.  The 


CEMENTS  AND  GLUE.  25 

pieces  are  then  firmly  pressed  together,  and  left  undisturbed 
for  several  days. 

Elastic  Cement. 

53.  Le filler's  Elastic  Cement. — Caoutchouc,  5  parts;  chloro- 
•form,  3  parts;  dissolve  and  add  powdered  gum  mastic,  1  part. 

Elastic  and  transparent. 

54.  Cut  india  rubber  into  fine  shreds  and  dissolve  together 
1  ounce  of  the  rubber,  4  ounces  of  bisulphide  of  carbon,  2 
drachms  of  isinglass,  and  £•  half  ounce  of  gutta  percha;  in  using 
this  the  parts  to  be  joined  must  be  covered  with  a  thin  coat  of 
the  solution,  and  be  allowed  to  dry  a  few  minutes;  then  heat 
to  melting,  place  the  parts  together  and  compress  until  cold; 
this  is  useful  for  cementing  leather  or  india  rubber.  (Doubt- 
ful). 

55.  Gutta  percha,  1  lb;  caoutchouc,  4  oz;  pitch,  2  oz;  shel- 
lac, 1  oz;  linseed  oil,  2  oz;  melt  together.  Must  be  heated 
when  applied. 

Electrical  Cement.   See  Cap  Cement 
Extemporaneous  Cement. 

This  term  is  applied  to  almost  pure  shellac  and  mastic.  See 

Shellac  and  Armenian  Cement. 

Faraday's  Cap  Cement.    See  Cap  Cement. 
Fire-Proof  Cement. 

It  is  easy  to  find  a  recipe  for  a  fire-proof  cement,  but  it  is 
.  very  difficult  to  find  a  cement  that  will  stand  a  red  heat.  It  is 
well  to  bear  in  mind  the  fact  that  no  cement  containing  organic 
matter  (such  as  glue,  flour,  oil,  etc.),  can  maintain  any  adhesive 
power  at  a  red  heat,  since  all  such  substances  are  decomposed 
at  that  temperature.  Cements  containing  oil,  etc.,  may  do  to 
fill  cracks,  but  not  to  hold  two  surfaces  together.  We  know  of 
no  cement  that  can  be  depended  upon  for  this  purpose  to  any 
great  extent.  For  some  purposes  the  glass  cements  Nos.  60  and 
61  answer  very  well. 

56.  Often  a  cement  is  required  to  join  the  covers  to  crucibles, 
or  for  similar  purposes,  so  as  to  keep  them  air  tight  when  hot. 
A  very  valuable  composition  of  the  kind  is  made  of  glass  of 
borax,  (fused  borax),  brick  dust  and  clay,  finely  powdered  to- 
gether and  mixed  with  a  little  water  when  used.  No  very  great 
nicety  is  required  in  the  proportions  but  about  a  tenth  of  borax 
is  quite  sufficient  to  bring  the  earths  to  that  state  of  semi- 


26 


CEMENTS  AND  GLUE. 


vitrification  which  is  desired.  Litharge  may  be  used  instead  of 
borax,  but  the  latter  is  by  far  the  best,  as  it  promotes  that 
thin  spreading  fusion  which  is  most  efficient. 

57.  A  cement  which  is  said  to  be  useful,  for  stopping 
cracks  in  iron  vessels  which  are  intended  to  be  strongly  heated, 
is  made  of  6  parts  of  clay,  1  of  iron  filings,  and  linseed  oil 
enough  for  mixture.  The  oil  will,  of  course,  be  speedily  de- 
stroyed, but  will  leave  enough  carbonaceous  residue  to  unite 
the  remainder  into  a  firm  mass. 

We  should  prefer,  however,  to  depend  on  the  iron  cement  of 
which  the  formula  is  given  in  Nos.  92,  93  and  94. 

58.  The  following  cement  is  said  to  be  very  hard,  and  to 
present  complete  resistance  alike  to  a  red  heat  and  boiling 
water:  To  four  or  five  parts  of  clay,  thoroughly  dried  and 
pulverized,  add  two  parts  of  fine  iron  filings  free  from  oxide, 
one  part  of  peroxide  of  manganese,  one  half  of  common  salt, 
and  one  half  of  borax;  mingle  thoroughly;  render  as  fine  as 
possible;  then  reduce  to  a  thick  paste  with  the  necessary 
quantity  of  water,  mixing  well.  It  must  be  used  immediately. 
After  application  it  should  be  exposed  to  warmth,  gradually  in- 
creasing almost  to  a  white  heat. 

Fish  Glue. 

Isinglass  is  sometimes  called  by  this  name,  but  will  be  found 
described  under  its  own  heading.  There  is  also  a  coarse  variety 
of  glue  prepared  from  fish,  which  will  be  found  described  under 
the  heading,  "  Glue,  Fish"    See  also,  "  Glue,  Lapland.'" 

French  Cement. 

59.  Mix  thick  mucilage  of  gum  arabic  with  powdered  starch; 
a  little  lemon  juice  is  sometimes  added.  Used  by  naturalists 
in  mounting  specimens;  by  artificial-flower  makers,  and  by 
confectioners  to  stick  paper  ornaments,  wafers,  papers,  etc.,  on 
their  fancy  cakes. 

Glass  Cement. 

There  are  two  kinds  of  so-called  glass  cement,  and  both  are 
said  to  be  very  excellent  for  uniting  broken  glass,  china,  etc. 

60.  Take  pulverized  glass,  10  parts;  powdered  fluorspar,  20 
parts;  soluble  silicate  of  soda,  60  parts.  Both  glass  and  fluor- 
spar must  be  in  the  finest  possible  condition,  which  is  best 
done  by  shaking  each,  in  fine  powder,  with  water,  allowing  the 
coarser  particles  to  deposit,  and  then  to  pour  off  the  remainder, 
which  holds  the  finest  particles  in  suspension.  The  mixture 
must  be  made  very  rapidly,  by  quick  stirring,  and  when  thor- 


CEMENTS  AND  GLUE. 


27 


oughly  mixed  must  be  at  ouce  applied.  This  is  said  to  yield 
an  excellent  cement. 

61.  Take  red  lead,  3  parts;  fine  white  sand,  2  parts;  crystal- 
lized boracic  acid,  3  parts.  These  ingredients  are  mixed  and 
fused,  and  then  reduced  to  a  very  fine  powder  which  may  be 
made  into  a  paste  with  a  dilute  solution  of  soluble  glass,  and 
applied  as  an  ordinary  cement,  or  it  may  be  mixed  with  very 
weak  gum  water,  (just  enough  gum  to  make  it  adhesive),  after 
it  has  been  applied,  the  articles  are  exposed  to  a  heat  sufficient 
to  melt  the  fusible  glass,  which  is  formed  by  the  union  of  the 
three  ingredients. 

Glass,  Transparent  Cement  For   See  Canada  Balsam. 
Glue. 

62.  Glue  is,  undoubtedly,  the  most  important  cement  used  in 
the  arts.  It  serves  to  unite  wood,  paper,  and  almost  all  organic 
materials.  The  carpenter,  the  cabinet  maker,  the  bookbinder, 
the  hatter,  and  numerous  other  trades  use  it  extensively,  and  in 
some  cases  to  the  exclusion  of  everything  else.  Good  glue, 
properly  prepared  and  well  applied,  will  unite  pieces  of  wood 
with  a  degree  of  strength  which  leaves  nothing  to  be  desired. 
The  fibres  of  the  hardest  and  toughest  wood  will  tear  asunder 
before  the  glued  surfaces  will  separate,  and  certainly  anything 
more  than  this  would  be  unnecessary.  Mr.  Bevan  found  that 
when  two  cylinders  of  dry  ash,  each  an  inch  and  a  half  in 
diameter,  were  glued  together,  and  then  torn  asunder  after  a 
lapse  of  twenty-four  hours,  it  required  a  force  of  1260  lbs.  to 
separate  them,  and  consequently  the  force  of  adhesion  was 
equal  to  715  lbs.  per  square  inch.  From  a  subsequent  experi- 
ment on  solid  glue  he  found  that  its  cohesion  is  equal  to  4000 
lbs.  per  square  inch.  This  would  indicate  that  our  methods 
of  applying  this  substance  as  a  cement  are  capable  of  improve- 
ment, and  it  is  undoubtedly  true  that  great  care  and  skill  must 
be  used  if  the  best  results  would  be  obtained. 

Good  glue  is  hard,  clear  (not  necessarily  light-colored,  how- 
ever,) and  free  from  bad  taste  and  smell.  Glue  which  is  easily 
dissolved  in  cold  water  is  not  strong.  Good  glue  merely  swells 
in  cold  water  and  must  be  heated  to  the  boiling  point  before  it 
will  dissolve  thoroughly.  Good  glue  requires  more  water  than 
that  which  is  poor,  consequently,  you  cannot  dissolve  six 
pounds  of  good  glue  in  the  same  quantity  of  water  you  can  six 
pounds  of  poor  glue.  The  best  glue,  which  is  clear  and  red, 
will  require  from  one-half  to  more  than  double  the  water  that  is 
required  with  poor  glue.  From  careful  experiments  with  dry 
glue  immersed  for  twenty-four  hours  in  water  at  60°  Fahr.,  and 


28 


CEMENTS  AND  GLUE. 


thereby  transformed  into  a  jelly,  it  was  found  that  the  finest 

ordinary  glue,  or  that  made  from  white  bones,  absorbs  twelve 
times  its  weight  of  water  in  twenty-tour  hours;  the  glue  from 
dark  bones,  absorbs  nine  times  its  weight  of  water,  while  the 
ordinary  glue  made  from  animal  refuse,  absorbs  but  three  to 
five  times  its  weight  of  water. 

The  quality  of  glue  may,  to  a  certain  extent,  be  estimated  by 
breaking  a  piece.  If  good,  it  will  break  hard  and  tough,  and 
when  broken  will  be  irregular  on  the  broken  edge.  If  jjoor, 
it  will  break  comparatively  easily,  leaving  a  smooth  straight 
edge. 

Glue  is  insoluble  in  alcohol,  though  a  small  quantity  of  alcohol 
may  be  mixed  with  the  solution  without  difficulty;  but  if  too 
much  alcohol  be  used,  the  glue  separates  from  the  water  and  falls 
to  the  bottom  of  the  vessel  in  the  form  of  a  white  viscid  substance. 
Neither  does  it  dissolve  in  ether,  or  in  the  fixed,  or  the  essential 
oils,  although  oily  matters  of  all  kinds  may  be  incorporated 
with  the  solution  of  glue  forming  a  sort  of  emulsion.  These 
facts  will  enable  our  readers  to  judge  of  the  value  of  those 
recipes  in  which  they  are  directed  to  dissolve  glue  in  alcohol 
or  in  oil,  for  the  purpose  of  making  a  glue  which  will  remain 
liquid  at  all  times.  A  little  alcohol  may  be  added,  but  if  the 
amount  of  alcohol  be  sufficient  to  produce  any  marked  effect, 
the  glue  is  apt  to  separate.  One  of  the  most  marked  charac- 
teristics of  good  glue  is  its  property  of  gelatinizing.  By  this 
is  meant  the  fact  that  a  moderately,  strong  solution  of  glue 
which  is  .  quite  fluid  when  hot,  forms  a  stiff  jelly  when  cold. 
This  property  is  no  bad  test  of  the  quality  of  glue.  The  firmer 
the  jelly  the  better  the  glue.  In  ignorance  of  this  principle, 
some  persons  have  made  great  efforts  to  get  rid  of  this  pro- 
perty, and  acids  and  various  salts  have  been  added  to  the  so- 
lution of  glue  for  the  purpose  of  preventing  its  gelatinization, 
and  thus  retaining  it  in  a  liquid  form  that  would  be  ready  for 
use  at  any  moment.  But  by  those  who  have  devoted  the  most 
careful  attention  to  the  subject,  the  fact  stands  unquestioned 
that  the  strongest  glue  is  that  which  is  purest  and  which  gela- 
tinizes or  sets  most  completely. 

Glue  being  an  animal  substance,  it  must  be  kept  sweet,  and 
free  from  putrefaction;  to  do  this  it  is  necessary  to  keep  it  cool 
after  it  is  once  dissolved,  and  while  not  in  use. 

The  most  serious  defects  in  glue  are  the  mixture  of  extrane- 
ous matters  and  incipient  putrefaction.  There  are  other  sub- 
stances, beside  gelatin,  present  in  the  matters  from  which  glue 
is  prepared,  and  unless  these  substances  are  caref  ully  separated 
the  glue  will  prove  of  inferior  quality.  Hence,  in  selecting 
glue,  choose  that  which  is  transparent  and  free  from  clouds  or 


CEMENTS  AND  GLUE. 


29 


flocks  in  its  substance.  Very  clear  and  colorless  glue  is  by  no 
means  the  best,  but,  whatever  be  the  color,  see  that  it  is  clear. 
It  is  true  that  in  some  cases  very  finely  divided  powders  have 
been  added  to  glue  with  the  avowed  object  of  rendering  it 
stronger.  We  feel  inclined  to  believe,  however,  that  such  ad- 
ditions serve  merely  to  cloak  defects  in  the  glue  itself,  or  in 
the  mode  in  which  it  is  applied.  Peter  Cooper  is  said  to  add 
very  finely  divided  Paris  white  to  his  glue,  and  it  is  claimed 
that  the  glue  is  improved  not  only  in  appearance  but  in  actual 
strength.  How  this  may  be  we  know  not.  White-lead  added 
to  glue  is  said  to  make  it  water-proof  as  well  as  to  strengthen  it, 
and  from  the  well-known  relation  of  white-lead  to  oils  and 
animal  substances  it  is  not  impossible  that  this  may  be  the 
case.  For  our  own  part,  however,  we  have  always  found  good 
pure  glue  equal  to  any  requirements  which  we  might  demand 
of  it. 

The  other,  and  by  far  the  greatest  and  most  common  defect 
in  glufc  is  incipient  putrefaction.  This  may  occur  either  at  the 
glue-factory  or  in  the  workshop  of  the  mechanic;  and  in  either 
case  it  is  fatal  to  the  strength  of  the  glue.  It  may  often  be  de- 
tected, however,  by  the  smell  and  taste.  The  odors  of  good 
glue  and  of  that  which  has  begun  to  decay  are  so  different 
that,  once  observed,  they  will  never  be  forgotten.  Glue 
which  has  begun  to  putrefy  at  the  factory  may  not  exhibit  any 
odor  so  long  as  it  is  kept  perfectly  dry,  and  it  may  even  have 
been  so  deodorized  by  bone  black  or  the  action  of  chemicals, 
that  it  does  not  exhibit  a  bad  odor  when  first  moistened.  But 
when  allowed  to  stand  for  a  very  short  time,  especially  in  warm 
weather,  putrefaction  again  commences,  and  the  odor  is  quite 
perceptible,  while  good  glue  will  remain  sweet  and  sound  under 
the  same  conditions. 

Glue  which  exhibits  a  bad  odor  when  moistened,  should  be 
rejected  and  used  only  for  making  size,  and  for  uniting  the 
coarser  varieties  of  articles;  and  when  the  glue-pot  begins  to 
exhibit  any  signs  of  putref action,  it  ought  to  be  carefully 
cleaned  out  and  thoroughly  soaked  and  washed,  for  putrefac- 
tion acts  likes  a  ferment,  and  the  jn-esence  of  a  little  bad  glue 
will  soon  destroy  a  whole  batch  of  a  good  article. 

The  preparation  of  glue  demands  care  rather  than  skill.  In 
dissolving  glue,  it  is  best  to  weigh  the  glue,  and  weigh  or 
measure  the  water.  If  not  done  there  is  a  liability  of  get- 
ting more  glue  than  the  water  can  properly  dissolve.  It  is  a- 
good  plan,  when  once  the  quantity  of  water  that  any  sample 
of  glue  will  take  up  has  been  ascertained,  to  put  the  glue  and 
water  together  at  least  six  hours  before  heat  is  applied,  and  if 
not  soft  enough  then,  let  it  remain  longer  in  soak,  for  there  is 


30 


CEMENTS  AND  GLUE. 


no  danger  of  good  glue  remaining  in  pure  water,  even  for  forty- 
eight  hours,  provided  the  weather  be  cold,  but  it  must  not  be 
allowed  to  lie  too  long  in  that  liquid  or  it  will  begin  to  decay, 
especially  in  warm  weather.  To  meet  this  difficulty,  and 
secure  the  quick  soaking  of  the  glue,  there  has  of  late  years 
been  introduced  a  pulverized  or  granulated  article  which  is 
very  excellent.  Frozen  glue,  made  porous  by  freezing,  is  also 
used  with  this  object  in  view.  After  being  soaked  the  glue 
should  be  melted,  great  care  being  taken  that  it  be  not  burned. 
Next  to  putrefaction,  burning  is  the  great  destroyer  of  glue. 
Burnt  glue  is  always  weak.  If  kept  dry,  glue  may  be  pre- 
served for  any  length  of  time,  but  when  once  moistened  even 
the  best  samples  soon. spoil.  No  more  glue  should  be  prepared 
at  any  one  time  than  is  to  be  used  immediately,  and  whenever 
a  job  requiring  extra  strength  is  to  be  executed,  it  will  always 
pay  to  prepare  a  fresh  lot.  Formerly,  when  glue  was  generally 
heated  over  the  naked  fire  the  old-fashioned  glue-pot  was  al- 
ways used.  This  pot  is  double — the  space  between  tke  outer 
and  inner  vessels  being  tilled  with  water.  Consequently  where 
this  pot  is  employed,  the  glue  can  never  be  made  hotter  than 
boiling  water,  and  thus  all  danger  of  burning  is  avoided. 
Now  that  more  delicate  and  convenient  modes  of  heating  have 
been  devised,  this  old  pot  has  in  some  cases  been  dismissed, 
to  the  evident  deterioration  of  the  process.  Even  steam 
should  never  be  employed  except  to  heat  water  in  the  outer 
case.  In  applying  glue  it  should  be  remembered  that  the 
thinner  the  layer  which  is  applied  the  stronger  will  be  the 
joint,  and  the  less  water  there  is  combined  with  the  glue  the 
sooner  will  it  dry,  and  consequently  the  less  will  the  joint  be 
exposed  to  accidental  disturbance  before  union  has  fairly  oc- 
curred. Carpenters  should  remember  that  fresh  glue  dries 
more  readily  than  that  which  has  been  once  or  twice 
melted. 

If  glue  is  of  first-rate  quality,  it  can  be  used  on  most  kiuds  of 
woodwork  very  thin,  and  make  the  joint  as  strong  as  the  original, 
but  it  is  necessary  that  the  glue  be  brought  into  intimate  con- 
tact with  the  entire  surface  of  the  wood.  The  necessity  for  this 
has  been  fully  explained  in  our  introduction.  f 

A  drop  of  melted  glue  allowed  to  simply  fall  on  a  surface 
Df  dry,  cold  wood  and  dry  there,  will  often  fail  to  adhere  at  all, 
ivhile  if  the  same  drop  had  been  rubbed  in,  it  would  have  at- 
tached itself  to  the  surface  with  wonderful  tenacity.  In  ap- 
plying glue,  therefore,  we  must  secure  this  perfect  contact,  and 
we  must  also  employ  every  means  in  our  power  to  delay  the 
gelatinization  of  the  glue  until  the  joint  has  been  completed. 
The  glue  should  therefore  be  used  while  very  hot,  as  hot  as  it 


CEMENTS  AND  GLUE. 


31 


will  bear,  and  in  very  cold  weather  the  wood  itself  should  be 
warmed  The  glue  should  be  well  rubbed  in  with  a  stiff  brush 
and  the  two  surfaces  should  be  rubbed  well  together  and  re- 
tained in  contact  under  great  pressure  until  the  glue  has  be- 
come somewhat  dry.  Complete  dryness  rarely  takes  place 
under  several  days;  but  after  the  lapse  of  twelve  hours  the 
joint  becomes  tolerably  strong.  A  joint  made  in  this  way  is 
probably  as  strong  as  can  be  made  by  any  ordinary  process. 

Glue,  Fish. 

63.  An  attempt  has  been  made  to  prepare  glue  from  the 
skins  and  refuse  of  fish  in  the  same  way  that  ordinary  glue  is 
prepared  from  the  skins  and  offal  of  land  animals  Such  glue 
has  been  made  in  large  quantity,  and  forms  a  very  good  size 
for  some  purposes.  Thus  far,  however,  it  has  been  found  im- 
possible to  free  it  from  a  very  disagreeable  fish-like  odor,  and 
another  objection  is,  that  it  does  not  gelatinize.  It  is  probable 
that  by  exercising  greater  care  and  by  using  the  skins  alone, 
freeing  them  from  scales  and  oil,  a  very  strong  and  serviceable 
glue  might  be  prepared.  The  ordinary  method  at  present  in 
use  for  curing  fish,  will,  probably,  at  no  distant  day,  give 
place  to  others  by  which  the  product  will  be  more  condensed 
and  more  palatable.  In  that  case  it  is  probable  that  fish  skins 
will  be  an  important  part  of  the  refuse,  and  a  method  of  ob- 
taining good  glue  from  them  will  be  a  most  valuable  process. 
That  there  is  no  inherent  difficulty  with  mere  fish  product  is 
shown  by  the  manufacture  of  isinglass,  which  is  one  of  the 
strongest  glues  that  wre  have.  The  northern  seas  will  probably 
be  the  chief  seats  of  this  new  industry,  as  the  skins  can  then  be 
subjected  to  the  processes  required,  without  such  danger  from 
putrefaction  as  exists  in  warm  climates.  See  Glue,  Lapland. 

64.  A  correspondent  of  one  of  our  technological  papers  de- 
scribes a  method  of  preparing  glue  from  fish  scales.  We  have 
never  tried  it,  but  give  his  account  of  it  for  what  it  is  worth. 
He  says:  "  The  natives  of  the  Maldive  and  Lacadive  Islands, 
and  the  Malays,  of  the  coasts  of  Borneo  and  Sumatra,  have  a 
glue  which  they  make  as  follows: — They  take  the  scales  of  a 
kind  of  fish,  called  by  English  and  American  sailors,  salt-water 
trout,  (identical  with  the  salt-water  trout  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico), 
and  after  thoroughly  washing  them  in  a  glazed  earthen  jar, 
which  they  stopper  tightly,  and  weight  so  that  it  will  re- 
main under  water,  they  put  this  jar  in  a  pot  of  water,  and 
boil  it  until  the  scales  are  reduced  to  a  semi-transparent  vis- 
cous mass.  This  requires  several  hours'  boiling.  Care  should 
be  taken  that  no  water  or  extraneous  matter,  fluid  or  solid,  be 
allowed  to  get  into  the  jar  with  the  scales.  The  glue  thus  made 


32 


CEMENTS  AND  GLUE. 


is  the  most  tenacious,  and  at  the  same  time  the  most  transparent 
and  beautiful  that  I  have  ever  seen.  I  have  made  it  in  this 
country  from  the  scales  of  perch,  trout,  and  bass.  I  am  in- 
formed that  a  similar  glue  is  made  from  the  bladders  of 
various  fishes." 

Glue,  Lapland. 

65.  The  bows  of  the  Laplanders  are  composed  of  two  pieces 
of  wood,  glued  together.  One  of  them  is  of  birch,  which  is 
flexible,  and  the  other  of  the  fir  of  the  marshes,  which  is 
stiff,  in  order  that  the  bow  when  bent  may  not  break  a'nd  when 
unbent  it  may  not  bend.  When  these  two  pieces  are  bent,  all 
the  points  of  contact  endeavor  to  disunite  themselves,  and  ta 
prevent  this  the  Laplanders  employ  the  following  cement: 
They  take  the  skins  of  the  largest  perches,  and  having  dried 
them  so  that  the  greasy  part  may  be  removed  by  scraping  and 
wiping,  and  the  oil  soaked  out  by  any  porous  material,  they 
soak  them  in  water  until  they  are  so  soft  that  they  may  be 
freed  from  the  scales,  which  are  thrown  away.  They  then  put 
four  or  five  of  these  skins  in  a  reindeer's  bladder,  or  they  wrap' 
them  up  in  the  soft  bark  of  the  birch  tree,  in  such  a  manner  thai 
water  cannot  touch  them,  and  place  them  thus  covered  in  a  po{ 
of  boiling  water  with  a  stone  above  them  to  keep  them  at  the 
bottom.  When  they  have  boiled  about  an  hour,  they  take 
them  from  the  bladder  or  bark,  and  they  are  then  found  to  be 
soft  or  viscous,  like  strong  glue.  In  this  state  they  employ 
them  for  glueing  together  the  two  pieces  of  their  bows,  which 
they  strongly  compress  together  and  tie  up  until  the  glue  is 
well  dried.  These  pieces  never  afterward  separate.  See  Glue, 
Fish. 

Glue,  Liquid. 

Various  attempts  have,  as  we  have  already  stated,  been  made, 
with  the  intention  of  retaining  the  glue  in  a  liquid  form,  and  of 
thus  avoiding  the  inconvenience  attending  the  use  of  a  cement 
which  requires  to  be  liquified  by  heat  wrhenever  it  is  to  be  used. 
The  addition  of  a  little  nitric  acid  will  prevent  the  glue  from 
gelatinizing  or  becoming  solid,  and  the  same  effect  is  produced 
by  the  addition  of  a  little  vinegar,  or,  rather  of  pyrol igneous 
acid,  which  will  also  prevent  it  from  moulding.  It  is  sup- 
posed that  the  latter  is  substantially  the  formula  for  making 
the  well-known  Spaulding's  glue.  The  addition  of  these  sub- 
stances injure  the  glue,  however.     Spaulding's  glue  may  be 


CEMENTS  AND  &LOE. 


33 


more  convenient  than  common  glue,  but  it  is  far  inferior  to  it 
in  strength.  More  recently  it  has  been  proposed  to  add  sul- 
phate or  chloride  of  zinc  to  common  glue  for  the  purpose  of 
keeping  it  liquid.  We  have  never  tried  it,  but  we  have  no  faith 
in  it.  A  solution  of  shellac  in  alcohol  has  been  used  and  highly 
extolled  as  a  substitute  for  common  glue.  It  forms  a  tolerable 
liquid  cement,  but  is  far  inferior  to  glue.  Any  of  the  follow- 
ing recipes  will  afford  a  liquid  glue  which  will  answer  well 
enough  for  purposes  where  no  great  strength  is  required;  but 
we  know  of  no  cement  which  is  more  convenient  than  com- 
mon glue,  and  yet  which  will  unite  wood  with  anything  like 
the  efficiency  of  that  article. 

66.  Dumoulin's  Liquid  and  Unalterable  Glue. — This  is  one  of 
the  oldest  forms  and  one  of  the  best;  it  is  prepared  as  follows: 
Soak  8  oz.  of  best  glue  in  \  pint  of  water  in  a  wide-mouthed 
bottle  and  melt  by  heating  the  bottle  in  a  water-bath.  Then 
add  slowly  2£  oz.  of  nitric  acid,  spec.  gr.  1*330,  stirring  con- 
stantly. Effervescence  takes  place  under  escape  of  nitrous 
acid  gas.  When  all  the  acid  has  been  added,  the  liquid  is  al- 
lowed to  cool.  Keep  it  well  corked,  and  it  will  be  ready  for 
use  at  any  moment.  It  does  not  gelatinize,  or  putrefy,  or  fer- 
ment. It  is  applicable  to  many  domestic  uses,  such  as  mend- 
ing china,  wood,  etc. 

67.  Liquid  Glue. — A  very  strong  glue  may  be  made  by 
dissolving  4  ounces  of  glue  in  16  ounces  of  strong  acetic 
acid  by  the  id  of  heat.  It  is  semi-solid  at  ordinary  ten> 
peratures,  but  needs  only  to  be  warmed,  by  placing  the 
vessel  containing  it  in  hot  water  for  a  short  time,  to  be  ready 
for  use. 

68.  Dilute  officinal  phosphoric  acid  with  two  parts,  by  weight, 
of  water,  and  saturate  with  carbonate  of  ammonia;  dilute  the  re- 
sulting liquid,  which  must  be  still  somewhat  acid,  with  another 
part  of  distilled  water,  warm  it  on  a  water-bath,  and  dissolve 
in  it  enough  good  glue  to  form  a  thick,  syrupy  liquid.  It  must 
be  kept  in  well-closed  bottles. 

69.  Spaulding's  Glue.— This  is  simply  good  glue  prepared 
with  strong  vinegar  instead  of  water.  Dilute,  rectified  pyro- 
ligneous  acid,  which  is  a  coarse  form  of  vinegar  containing  a 
very  little  creosote,  may  be  used.  It  prevents  mould  and 
fermentation. 

70.  Glue,  water  and  vinegar  of  each  2  parts.  Dissolve  in  a 
waterbath  and  add  alcohol  1  part. 


31 


CEMENTS  AND  GLUE. 


71.  A  solution  of  shellac  in  alcohol  is  often  sold  under  the 
name  of  "'liquid  glue."  See  Chinese  Glue. 

72.  Macerate  6  parts  of  glue  in  16  parts  of  water,  until  the 
glue  is  swollen  and  soft.  Add  1  part  of  hydrochloric  acid,  and 
l£  parts  sulphate  of  zinc,  and  let  the  mixture  be  kept  for  ten  or 
twelve  hours  at  a  temperature  of  68°  to  70°  Cent,  (154°  to  158° 
Fahr.)  Answers  admirably  for  attaching  labels  to  tin  and  to 
glass  when  exposed  to  damp. 

73.  The  writer  of  the  following  claims  to  have  a  personal 
knowledge  of  its  excellence:  "  An  excellent  liquid  glue  is  made 
by  dissolving  glue  in  nitric  ether.  The  ether  will  only  dissolve 
a  certain  amount  of  the  glue:  consequently,  the  solution  cannot 
be  made  too  thick.  The  glue  thus  made  is  about  the  consis- 
tency of  molasses,  and  is  doubly  as  tenacious  as  that  made  with 
hot  water  (?).  If  a  few  bits  of  india-rubber,  cut  into  scraps  the 
size  of  a  buck-shot,  be  added,  and  the  solution  allowed  to  stand 
a  few  days,  being  stirred  frequently,  it  will  be  all  the  better, 
and  will  resist  dampness  twice  as  well  as  glue  made  with 
water." 

Glue,  Mouth  or  Lip, 

Mouth  glue  forms  a  very  convenient  portable  cement  of  con- 
siderable adhesiveness.  For  some  purposes,  especially  for  at- 
taching drawing  paper  to  a  board,  it  is  the  most  convenient 
form,  but  for  ordinary  desk  use,  the  mucilage  bottle  is  to  be 
,  preferred.  Mouth  glue  may  be  purchased  in  cakes  from  the 
dealers  in  artists'  supplies.  Those  who  attempt  to  make  it 
themselves  should  use  a  very  pure  form  of  glue  or  gelatine, 
quite  free  from  smell  or  taint,  as  this  will  prove  very  disgusting 
when  the  glue  is  moistened  with  the  lips.  Sugar  is  generally 
added,  not  for  the  purpose  of  sweetening  the  article,  but  to 
render  it  more  soluble.  It  will  be  found  that  a  pure,  but  dark 
brown  sugar  is  better  than  a  white  article,  and  a  little  syrup  or 
molasses  better  than  either.  When  molasses  is  substituted  for 
sugar  the  quantity  employed  may  be  greatly  diminished. 

We  have  often  used  a  nice  article  of  common  glue  instead  of 
the  so-called  mouth  glue.  It  requires  a  little  more  rubbing 
than  the  moiLtik.  glue,  but  it  holds  more  strongly,  and  resists 
better  the  wetting  to  which  mechanical  and  architectural  draw- 
ings are  subjected. 


CEMENTS  AND  GLUE. 


85 


74.  Soak  4  oz.  best  glue  and  1  oz.  isinglass  in  water  until 
soft.  Pour  off  the  superfluous  water,  and  add  1  oz.  of  brown 
sugar.  Melt  the  whole  together  with  a  gentle  heat,  and  allow 
it  to  evaporate  until  quite  thick.  Pour  into  a  flat-bottomed 
dish  that  is  quite  cold;  if  placed  on  ice,  so  much  the  better,  as 
it  will  prevent  the  glue  sticking  to  it.  When  solid,  cut  into 
cakes. 

75.  Glue,  5  oz. ;  sugar,  1  oz. ;  dissolved  in  water,  boiled  down, 
poured  into  moulds  and  dried. 

76.  Take  of  isinglass  and  parchment  glue,  each  one  ounce;  of 
sugar  candy  and  gum  tragacanth,  each  2  drachms;  add  to  them 
an  ounce  of  water,  boil  the  whole  till  the  mixture  appears,  when 
cold,  of  the  consistence  of  glue.  Then  form  it  into  small  rolls 
for  use.  This  glue,  wetted  with  the  tongue  and  rubbed  on 
the  edges  of  the  paper,  silk,  etc.,  to  be  cemented,  will,  on 
their  being  laid  together  and  suffered  to  dry,  unite  them  as 
firmly  as  any  other  part  of  the  surface. 

Glue,  Portable. 

77.  Put  a  pinch  of  shredded  gelatine  into  a  wide-mouthed 
bottle;  put  on  it  a  very  little  water,  and  about  one-fourth  part 
of  glacial  acetic  acid;  put  in  a  well-fitting  cork.  If  the  right 
quantity  of  water  and  acid  be  used,  the  gelatine  will  swell  up 
into  worm-like  pieces,  quite  elastic,  but  at  the  same  time,  firm 
enough  to  be  handled  comfortably.  The  acid  will  make  the 
preparation  keep  indefinitely.  When  required  for  use,  take  a 
small  fragment  of  the  swelled  gelatine,  and  warm  the  end  of  it 
in  the  flame  of  a  match  or  candle;  it  will  immediately  "run  " 
into  a  fine  clear  glue,  which  can  be  applied  at  once  direct  to  the 
article  to  be  mended.  The  thing  is  done  in  half  a  minute,  and 
is,  moreover,  done  well,  for  the  gelatine  so  treated  makes  the 
very  best  and  finest  glue  that  can  be  had.  This  plan  might  be 
modified  by  dissolving  a  trace  of  chrome  alum  in  the  water 
used  for  moistening  the  gelatine,  in  which  case,  no  doubt,  the 
glue  would  become  insoluble  when  set.  But  fo::  general  pur- 
poses, there  is  no  need  for  subsequent  insolubility  in  glue. 

Glycerine  Cement, 

78.  In  1869,  Hirzel  obtained,  by  triturating  litharge  with 
glycerine,  a  mass  which  he  found  useful  as  a  cement  for 
vessels  containing  benzol,  ethereal  oils,  etc.,  as  it  possessed  the 
property  of  soon  hardening.  During  the  same  year,  Pollack 
recommended  the  same  mass  as  a  cement  for  stone  and  iron 
ware,  and  pointed  out  that  it  was  attacked  only  by  strong 
acids;  also,  that  its  durability  is  the  greater,  the  more  water  the 
litharge  had  absorbed,  since  the  latter,  when  entirely  dry, 


36 


CEMENTS  AND  GLUE. 


yielded  a  cement  of  feeble  adhesiveness  only.  Bost,  in  1870, 
found  this  cement  proof  against  concentrated  [?]  and  diluted 
acids,  alkaline  lyes,  ether,  alcohol,  benzol,  and  carbon  disul- 
phide. 

The  somewhat  contradictory  statements  regarding  the  power 
of  resistance  against  acids  of  this  cement,  as  well  as  the  desire 
to  find  out  whether  glycerine  entered  into  a  chemical  combin- 
ation with  litharge,  led  Theodor  Morawski  to  investigate  the 
subject.  He  obtained  a  definite  compound,  crystallizing  in 
fine  needles,  which  was  found  to  be  a  glyceride  of  lead. 

From  a  large  number  of  experiments  instituted  to  ascertain 
the  most  favorable  conditions  for  the  production  of  a  perfect 
cement,  the  author  obtained  the  following  results:  The  hardest 
cement  is  produced  by  triturating  fifty  grammes  of  litharge  with 
five  cubic  centimetres  of  glycerine.  If  more  glycerine  is  used, 
the  mass  hardens  much  more  slowly  and  imperfectly. 

The  small  proportion  of  glycerine,  however,  makes  it  imprac- 
ticable to  prepare  large  quantities  of  the  cement  at  a  time.  For 
this  purpose  it  will  be  necessary  to  take  more  glycerine,  in  order 
to  facilitate  the  trituration.  But  as  it  was  also  proved  that  the 
addition  of  a  small  quantity  of  water  produced  an  equally 
durable  cement,  provided  the  proper  proportions  are  observed, 
he  found,  after  many  trials,  that  the  most  favorable  results  are 
obtained  by  adding  2  volumes  of  water  to  5  volumes  of  gly- 
cerine (spec.  gr.  1*240);  6  cubic  centimetres  of  this  liquid  are 
incorporated  with  50  grammes  of  litharge.  This  mass  requires  a 
shorter  time  than  any  other  proportions  to  produce  a  hard 
cement,  10  minutes  only  being  required  to  harden  moderately, 
while,  after  2  hours,  it  becomes  even  harder  than  any  mixture 
containing  litharge  with  glycerine  alone.  But,  after  a  few  days, 
the  latter  compound  (prepared  without  water)  overtakes  the 
former  in  hardness  and  remains  so.  If  it  is  desired  to  pro- 
duce a  cement  which  rapidly  hardens,  and  still  has  considerable 
firmness,  it  is  advisable  to  use  water  with  the  glycerine. — Ding- 
lev's  Polyt.  Journal. 

The  applications  of  this  cement  are  innumerable.  Chemists 
and  others  know  well  the  difficulty  of  keeping  very  volatile 
liquids.  Bottles  of  ether,  for  example,  are  shipped  for  India, 
and  when  they  arrive  are  found  to  be  more  than  half  empty. 
The  chemist  sometimes  puts  a  bottle  of  benzole  or  bisulphide 
of  carbon  on  his  shelves,  and  when  he  next  requires  it,  he  finds 
the  bottle  empty  and  dry.  The  usual,  remedy  fortius  is  a 
luting  of  melted  sulphur,  which  is  difficult  to  apply  and  hard 
to  remove.  Glycerine  cement,  however,  is  easily  prepared  and 
applied,  and  is  said  to  prevent  the  escape  of  the  most  volatile 
liquids.    It  is  merely  painted  around  the  cork  or  stopper.  It 


CEMENTS  AND  GLUE. 


37 


quickly  dries,  and  becomes  extremely  hard,  but  can  be  easily 
scraped  off  with  a  knife,  when  it  is  necessary  to  open  the 
bottle. 

79.  Pollack's  Formula. — Take  litharge  and  red  lead,  equal 
parts,  mix  thoroughly  and  make  into  a  paste  with  concentrated 
glycerine  to  the  consistence  of  soft  putty.  This  cement  takes 
some  time  to  dry,  but  it  turns  almost  as  hard  as  stone,  and  re- 
sists moisture  and  heat  very  well.  Mr.  Pollack  has  used  it  to 
fasten  the  different  portions  of  a  fly-wheel  with  great  success; 
while  when  placed  between  stones  and  once  hardened,  it  is 
easier  to  break  the  stone  than  the  joint. 

Grinder's  Cement.    See  Optician's  Cement  and  Turner's  Cement 

Gum  Arabic— Gum  Acacia. 

80.  Gum  Arabic  is  the  product  of  various  species  of  Acacia. 
It  is  the  material  from  which  true  mucilage  is  made,  and  it 
forms  one  of  the  most  valuable  cements  that  we  have.  Fara- 
day tells  us,  in  his  work  on  "  Chemical  Manipulation, "  that 
there  is  no  cement  which  exceeds  it  for  strength. 

Pure  gum  Arabic  is  in  roundish  or  irregular  pieces  of  various 
sizes  more  or  less  transparent,  hard,  brittle,  and  breaking  with 
a  shining  fracture.  It  is  usually  white  or  yellowish  white,  but 
frequently  presents  various  shades  of  red,  and  is,  sometimes,  of 
a  deep  orange  or  brownish  color.  In  powder  it  is  always  more 
or  less  purely  white. 

It  is  liable  to  adulteration  both  in  powder  and  in  masses. 
Much  of  the  white  gum  Arabic  of  the  shops,  consists  of  the 
cheaper  and  coarser  gum  Senegal,  bleached  by  what  is  called 
"  Picciotto's  process."  The  gum  is  dissolved  in  water,  and  sul- 
phurous acid  gas  passed  through  the  solution.  The  liquid  is 
afterwards  boiled  to  expel  the  sulphurous  acid,  a  little  of 
which,  however,  still  remains  behind.  The  product  is -very 
white,  but  lacks  the  peculiar  toughness  and  adhesiveness  of 
the  best  gum  Aoacia. 

The  powdered  gum  is  frequently  adulterated  with  dextrine, 
gum  Senegal,  starch,  sugar,  cherry-tree  gum,  etc.  These  sub- 
stances are  not  difficult  of  detection,  but  where  a  good  article  is 
required  for  preparing  a  cement,  it  is  best  to  purchase  gum 
Arabic  in  lump  from  a  reliable  dealer,  taking  care,  in  any  case, 
to  avoid  the  bleached  article. 

Powdered  gum  has  no  advantage,  except  in  the  fact  that  it 
dissolves  more  quickly  than  when  in  lumps.  It,  therefore,  forms, 
when  in  this  state,  a  very  convenient  and  portable  cement, 
which  may  be  made  ready  in  an  instant  by  the  addition  of  a 
little  water. 


38 


CEMENTS  AND  GLUE. 


For  preparing  gummed  surfaces  which  will  adhere  when 
moistened  (such  as  gummed  labels,  etc.),  there  is  no  material 
superior  to  gum  Arabic. 

The  great  difficulty  with  gum  Arabic,  and,  indeed,  with  other 
gums  and  pastes,  lies  in  the  fact  that  when  thoroughly  dry,  they 
become  brittle,  so  that  the  label  or  other  object  falls  off. 
A  simple  remedy  for  this  difficulty  lies  in  the  addition  of  from 
five  to  ten  drops  of  glycerine  to  each  fluid  ounce  of  mucilage 
or  paste. 

Gum  Arabic  is  used  not  only  alone,  but  when  mixed  with 
other  matters.  The  following  formula  produce  very  good 
cements. 

81.  Rub  together,  in  a  mortar,  two  parts  of  nitrate  of  lime, 
twenty-five  of  water  and  twenty  of  powdered  gum  Arabic. 
This  forms  a  transparent  cement  of  great  strength  and  ap- 
plicable to  wood,  porcelain,  glass  and  stone.  The  surfaces  to 
be  united  should  be  painted  with  the  cement  and  firmly  bound 
together  until  the  drying  is  complete. 

82.  A  white  paste,  adhesive  to  most  surfaces,  is  said  to  be 
made  as  follows:  A  solution  of  2^  ounces  gum  Arabic  in  two 
quarts  of  warm  water,  is  thickened  with  flour  paste  well 
boiled,  and  to  this  is  added  a  solution  of  alum  and  sugar 
of  lead,  720  grains  each,  in  water;  the  mixture  is  heated 
and  stirred  till  about  to  boil,  and  then  cooled.  It  may 
be  thinned,  if  necessary,  with  the  gum  solution.  It  will  be 
seen  that  this  mucilage  consists  of  a  solution  of  gum  Arabic 
and  flour  paste  in  acetate  of  alumina,  colored  white  with  sul- 
phate of  lead.  » 

83.  To  250  grammes  of  mucilage  prepared  by  dissolving  2 
parts  of  gum  in  5  of  water,  add  2  grammes  of  crystallized  sul- 
phate of  aluminum  dissolved  in  the  least  possible  quantity  of 
water.  A  solution  of  alum  does  not  answer  as  well  as  the 
simple  sulphate  of  alumina,  which  can  be  prepared  from  alum  by 
precipitating  the  alumina  with  ammonia,  washing  thoroughly 
on  a  filter,  and  dissolving  in  sulphuric  acid.  The  mucilage 
thus  prepared  does  not  sour  or  mould,  and  may  be  used  as  a 
cement  for  general  purposes. 

84.  It  is  said  that  a  mixture  of  one  part  of  dry  chloride 
of  calcium,  or  two  parts  of  the  same  salt  in  the  crystallized 
form,  and  thirty  six  parts  of  gum  Arabic,  dissolved  in\vater  to 
a  proper  consistency,  forms  a  mucilage  which  holds  well,  does 
not  crack  by  drying,  and  yet  does  not  attract  sufficient  mois- 
ture from  the  air  to  become  wet  in  damp  weather. 


CEMENTS  AND  GLUE. 


89 


Gum  Tragacanth. 

85.  Known  amongst  mechanics  as  gum  dragon  and  gum 
drag.  It  comes  in  irregular-shaped  fragments,  varying  in 
size  from  that  of  a  small  pea  to  a  hazel  nut  or  larger.  It  is 
yellowish  white,  and  sometimes  translucent  like  horn.  It  is 
hard  and  tough,  and  very  difficult  to  reduce  to  powder  unless 
when  exposed  to  a  freezing  temperature,  or  when  thoroughly 
dried  and  ground  in  a  heated  mill  or  mortar.  When  so 
treated,  however,  it  is  possible  to  produce  a  very  fine  white 
powder.  When  thrown  into  water,  it  absorbs  that  liquid 
and  swells  up  and  forms  a  paste  which  is  largely  used  by 
shoemakers,  and  by  manufacturers  of  lozenges,  as  it  gives 
great  toughness  to  the  mass  of  sugar  and  other  ingredients. 

If  sufficient  water  be  used,  and  the  soft  mass  be  heated  or 
mixed  up,  it  forms  a  uniform,  soft,  adhesive  paste.  If  allowed 
to  settle,  however,  part  of  the  gum  separates  from  the  water, 
and  is  deposited.  Boiling  water  dissolves  the  gum  more  per- 
fertly  at  first,  but  even  when  so  treated,  it  separates  afterwards. 

According  to  M.  Planche,  a  mixture  of  gum  tragacanth  and 
gum  Arabic  forms,  with  water,  a  thinner  mucilage  than  the  same 
quantity  of  either  of  these  gums  alone. 

86.  Equal  parts  of  tragacanth  powder  and  powdered  gum 
acacia  (gum  Arabic),  moistened,  according  to  requirements  at 
the  time,  with  dilute  acetic  acid,  or,  if  the  color  will  not  be  of 
any  importance,  with  ordinary  vinegar.  This  forms  a  very 
strong  mucilage  which  keeps  well. 

Gutta  Percha  Cement,    See  Aquarium  Cement,  No.  9. 

Hensler's  Cement. 

87.  Litharge,  3  parts;  quicklime.  2  parts;  white  bole,  1  part; 
grind  up  with  boiled  linseed  oil.  Forms  a  very  tenacious 
and  hard  cement,  but  one  that  takes  a  long  time  to  dry. 

Hoenle's  Cement,    See  Shellac. 

India  Rubber  Cement. 

88.  Pieces  of  India  rubber  may  be  readily  united  by  means 
of  the  pasty  mass  obtained  by  acting  upon  pure  rubber  by  its 
appropriate  solvents.  These  are:  Sulphuric  ether,  coal-tar 
naphtha,  bisulphide  of  carbon,  caoutchoucin,  and  oil  of  tur- 
pentine. But  as  it  is  difficult  to  dissolve  rubber,  satisfactorily 
on  the  small  scale,  and  as  the  cement  may  be  bought  ready 
made  at  a  cheap  rate,  it  is  hardly  worth  while  to  enlarge  upon 
its  preparation.  Those  who  wish  to  try  it  will  probably  suc- 
ceed best  by  cutting  pure  rubber  (not  that  which  has  been 
vulcanized)  into  very  thin  slices,  boiling  it  in  water  so  as  to 


40 


CEMENTS  AND  GLUE. 


soften  and  expand  it,  and  then  digesting  it  in  hot  coal-tar 
naphtha,  or  oil  of  turpentine.  Several  days  are  required  to 
effect  the  solution. 

When  this  cement  is  used  for  uniting  pieces  of  rubber,  the 
surfaces  which  are  to  be  joined  must  be  fresh;  the  surfaces 
should  therefore  be  either  pared  with  a  knife  or  rasped  with  a 
file.  They  may  then  be  coaled  with  the  cement,  pressed  firmly 
together,  and  exposed  to  a  gentle  heat  for  a  few  day3. 

89.  For  mending  India  rubber  shoes,  boots  and  apparatus 
where  the  regular  rubber  cement  caunot  be  obtained,  the  fol- 
lowing directions  have  been  given:  Cut  2  pounds  caoutchouc 
into  thin,  small  slices;  put  them  in  a  vessel  of  tinned  sheet- 
iron  and  pour  over  12  to  14  pounds  of  sulphide  of  carbon. 
For  the  promotion  of  solution,  place  the  vessel  in  another 
containing  water  previously  heated  up  to  about  86°  Fahr. 
The  solution  will  take  place  promptly  but  the  fluid  will 
thicken  very  soon,  and  thus  render  the  application  dif- 
ficult, if  not  impossible.  In  order  to  prevent  this  thicken- 
ing, a  solution  of  caoutchouc  and  resin  in  spirits  of  turpentine 
must  be  added  to  the  solution  of  caoutchouc  in  sulphide  ot 
carbon,  and  in  such  quantity  that  the  mixture  obtains  the  con- 
sistency of  a  thin  paste.  The  solution  of  caoutchouc  and 
resin  in  spirit  of  turpentine  should  be  prepared  as  follows:  Gut 
1  pound  of  caoutchouc  into  thin,  small  slices;  heat  in  a  suitable 
vessel  over  a  moderate  coal  fire,  until  the  caoutchouc  becomes 
fluid;  then  add  \  pound  powdered  resin  and  melt  both  materials 
at  a  moderate  heat.  When  these  materials  are  perfectly  fluid, 
then  gradually  add  3  or  4  pounds  spirit  of  turpentine  in  small 
portions,  and  stir  well.  By  the  addition  of  the  last  solution, 
the  rapid  thickening  and  hardening  of  the  compound  will  be 
prevented,  and  a  mixture  obtained  which  fully  answers  the  pur- 
pose of  glueing  together  rubber  surfaces,  etc. 

90.  It  is  said  that  a  good  cement  that  will  render  India  rub- 
ber in  any  form  adherent  to  glass  or  metal,  may  be  made  as 
follows:  Some  shellac  is  pulverized,  and  then  softened  in  ten 
times  its  weight  of  strong  ammonia,  whereby  a  transparent 
mass  is  obtained,  which  becomes  fluid  after  keeping  some  little 
time,  without  the  use  of  hot  water.  In  three  or  four  weeks  the 
mixture  is  perfectly  liquid,  and,  when  applied,  it  will  be  found 
to  soften  the  rubber.  The  rubber  hardens  as  soon  as  the  am- 
monia has  evaporated  again,  and  thus  becomes  impervious 
both  to  gas  and  to  liquids.  For  cementing  the  rubber  sheet, 
or  the  material  in  any  shape,  to  metal,  glass,  and  other  such 
surfaces,  the  cement  is  strongly  recommended. 


CEMENTS  AND  GLUE. 


41 


Iron  Cement. 

91.  Iron  filings  or  borings  when  mixed  with  sulphur,  sal 
ammoniac,  etc.,  expand  and  form  a  compact  mass  which 
makes  a  very  firm  steam-tight  joint  if  properly  applied.  Con- 
cerning this  cement,  Dr.  Ure  says:  "The  iron  rust  cement  is 
made  of  from  50  to  100  parts  of  iron  borings,  pounded  and 
sifted,  mixed  with  one  part  of  sal-ammoniac,  and  when  it  is  to 
be  applied,  moistened  with  as  much  water  as  will  give  it  a 
pasty  consistence.  Formerly,  flowers  of  sulphur  were  used, 
and  much  more  sal-ammoniac  in  making  this  cement,  but  with 
decided  disadvantage,  as  the  union  is  effected  by  oxidizment, 
and  the  consequent  expansion  and  solidification  of  the  iron 
powder  and  any  heterogeneous  matter  obstructs  the  effect. 
The  best  proportion  of  sal-ammoniac  is,  I  believe,  1  per  cent, 
of  the  iron  borings." 

92.  Mix  4  parts  of  fine  borings  or  filings  of  iron,  2  parts  of 
potter's  clay,  and  1  part  of  powdered  potsherds,  and  make 
them  into  a  paste  with  salt  and  water.  When  this  cement  is 
allowed  to  concrete  slowly  on  iron  joints,  it  becomes  very 
hard. 

93.  Iron  Cement  for  Closing  the  Joints  of  Iron  Pipes.  — Take  of 
coarsely  powdered  iron  borings,  5  pounds;  powdered  sal-am- 
moniac, 2  oz. ;  sulphur,  1  oz. ;  and  water  sufficient  to  moisten  it. 
This  composition  hardens  rapidly;  but  if  time  can  be  allowed 
it  sets  more  firmly  without  the  sulphur.  It  must  be  used 
as  soon  as  mixed  and  rammed  tightly  into  the  joints. 

94.  Take  sal-ammoniac,  2  oz. ;  sublimed  sulphur,  1  oz. ;  cast- 
iron  filings  or  fine  turnings,  1  lb.  Mix  in  a  mortar  and  keep 
the  powder  dry.  When  it  is  to  be  used,  mix  it  with  twenty 
times  its  weight  of  clean  iron  turnings,  or  filings,  and  grind  the 
whole  in  a  mortar;  then  wet  it  with  water  until  it  becomes  of 
convenient  consistence,  when  it  is  to  be  applied  to  the  joint. 
After  a  time  it  becomes  as  hard  and  strong  as  any  part  of  the 
metal. 

95.  The  following  is  said  to  form  a  very  hard  cement:  Take 
a  few  spoonfuls  of  iron  filings,  and  oxide  of  iron  in  the  form  of 
black  scales  which  fall  from  red-hot  bars  of  iron  in  blacksmith's 
shops:  crush  them  fine  with  a  hammer,  mingle  with  the  powder 
an  equal  bulk  of  the  best  Portland  cement,  and  render  the  mass 
plastic  by  adding  the  white  part  of  eggs,  and  work  for  a  few 
minutes,  until  the  plastic  material  is  about  of  the  con- 
sistence of  soft  putty.  Only  a  small  quantity  should  be  pre- 
pared at  once,  as  it  will  set  in  a  short  time. 

96.  A  correspondent  of  the  English  Mechanic  says  that 
he  has  used  the  following  recipe  with  the  greatest  sue- 


42 


CEMENTS  AND  GLUE. 


cess  for  the  cementing  of  iron  railing  tops,  iron  gratings  to 
stoves,  etc.,  and  with  such  effect  as  to  resist  the  blows  of  the 
sledge  hammer: — "  Take  equal  parts  of  sulphur  and  white  lead, 
with  about  a  sixth  of  borax,  incorporate  them  so  as  to  form  one 
homogeneous  mass.  When  going  to  apply  it,  wet  it  with 
strong  sulphuric  acid,  and  place  a  thin  layer  of  it  between  the 
two  pieces  of  iron,  which  should  then  be  pressed  together.  In 
rive  days  it  will  be  perfectly  dry,  all  traces  of  the  cement  hav- 
ing vanished,  and  the  iron  will  have  the  appearance  of  having 
been  welded  together."  Careful  consideration  of  this  recipe 
does  not  dispel  from  our  mind  all  doubt  in  regard  to  its  effici- 
ency; but  from  the  confident  way  in  which  it  is  put  forward 
it  may  be  well  to  give  it  a  trial. 

Isinglass. 

97.  This  is  probably  the  purest  form  of  gelatin  or  animal 
glue,  and  it  makes  one  of  the  strongest  cements  known.  As  a 
cement,  it  may  be  treated  like  glue.  Erom  the  fact  that 
it  is  made  from  the  sounds  of  fishes,  it  is  sometimes  called 
fish-glue. 

Ivory,  Cement  for. 

The  American  or  Diamond  cement  unites  pieces  of  ivory 
with  great  firmness,  but  where  a  white  cement,  of  nearly  the 
same  color  as  ivory  is  required,  the  following  modification  will 
be  found  useful. 

98.  Dissolve  1  part  of  isinglass  and  2  parts  of  white  glue  in 
30  parts  of  water;  strain  and  evaporate  to  6  parts,  then  add 
1-30  part  of  gum  mastic,  dissolved  in  £  part  of  alcohol,  and 
add  1  part  of  zinc  white.  When  required  for  use,  warm  and 
shake  well.  The  broken  edges  to  be  joined  must  also  be 
warmed. 

Japanese  Cement. 

99.  This  is  simply  a  paste  made  of  fine  rice  flour,  well  boiled 
and  ground  in  a  mortar. 

Jeweller's  Cement. 

100.  It  sometimes  happens  that  jewellers,  in  setting  precious 
stones,  break  off  pieces  by  accident;  in  this  case  they  unite  the 
parts  so  that  the  joint  cannot  be  easily  seen,  with  gum  mastic, 
the  stone  being  previously  made  hot  enough  to  melt  it.  By 
the  same  medium  cameos  of  white  enamel  or  colored  glass,  are 
often  joined  to  a  real  stone  as  a  ground,  to  produce  the  ap- 
pearance of  an  onyx.  Mastic  is  likewise  used  to  cement  false 
backs  or  doublets  to  stones,  to  alter  their  hue. — (Ure).  The 


CEMENTS  AND  GLUE. 


term  Jeweller's  Cement  is  also  applied  to  Armenian  Cement, 
which  see. 

Kerosene  Oil  Lamps,  Cement  for, 

101.  The  cement  commonly  used  for  fastening  the  tops  on 
kerosene  lamps  is  plaster-of-Paris,  which  is  porous,  quickly 
penetrated  by  the  kerosene,  and  soon  destroyed.  Another 
cement  which  has  not  this  defect  is  made  by  boiling  three 
parts  of  resin,  and  one  of  caustic  soda  in  five  of  water.  This 
composition  forms  a  soap,  which,  when  mixed  with  half  its 
weight  of  plaster-of-Paris,  sets  firmly  in  about  three-quarters  of 
an  hour.  It  is  said  to  be  of  great  adhesive  power,  not  per- 
meable to  kerosene,  a  low  conductor  of  heat,  and  but  super- 
ficially attacked  by  hot  water. 

Labels,  Cement  for, 

102.  The  usual  adhesive  coating  for  "  gum  tickets,"  is  the 
cheaper  varieties  of  gum  Arabic  dissolved  in  water,  applied 
with  a  brush  and  dried. 

103.  Mix  dextrine  with  water,  and  add  a  drop  or  two  of 
glycerine. 

104.  Labels  that  are  exposed  to  acid  fumes  or  damp,  may  be 
attached  with  any  good  paste,  and  when  dry,  coated  with  copal 
varnish.  If  neatly  done  the  appearance  is  very  good,  and 
moisture  and  acids  have  no  action  on  them. 

105.  For  attaching  labels  to  tin  and  other  bright  metallic 
surfaces,  first  rub  the  surface  with  a  mixture  of  muriatic 
acid  and  alcohol;  then  apply  the  label  with  a  very  thin 
coating  of  the  paste,  and  it  will  adhere  almost  as  well  as  on 
glass. 

106.  To  make  cement  for  attaching  labels  to  metals,  take  ten 
parts  tragacanth  mucilage,  ten  parts  of  honey,  and  one  part 
flour.  The  flour  appears  to  hasten  the  drying,  and  renders 
it  less  susceptible  to  damp. 

107.  Another  cement  that  will  resist  the  damp  still  better, 
but  will  not  adhere  if  the  surface  is  greasy,  is  made  by  boiling 
together  two  parts  shellac,  one  part  borax,  and  sixteen  parts 
water. 

108.  Flour  paste  to  which  a  certain  proportion  of  nitric  acid 
has  been  added,  and  heat  applied,  makes  a  lasting  cement,  but 
the  acid  often  acts  upon  the  metals.  The  acid  converts  some 
of  the  starch  into  dextrine. 

109.  Dissolve  two  drachms  of  isinglass  in  four  ounces  of 
distilled  vinegar;  add  as  much  gum  Arabic  as  will  give  it  the 
required  consistency.  This  mucilage  keeps  very  well,  but  is 
apt  to  become  thinner,  when  a  little  more  gum  may  be  added. 


44 


CEMENTS  AND  GLUE. 


110.  Dissolve  isinglass  in  vinegar  to  a  pretty  thick  consis- 
tence when  warm.  This  congeals  on  cooling,  and  before  it  is 
used  should  be  gently  warmed. 

.111.  A  capital  adhesive  liquid  for  sticking  tickets  on  glass, 
wood,  or  paper,  is  obtained  as  follows:  About  half  an  ounce  of 
fine  glue  which  has  been  a  .day  before  soaked  in  water,  and 
some  candy  sugar,  with  half  an  ounce  of  gum  Arabic,  and  three 
ounces  of  water,  are  placed  in  a  small  bowl  over  a  spirit  lamp, 
and  continually  stirred  till  the  composition  thoroughly  boils 
and  dissolves,  and  the  mass  becomes  thin.  When  coated  with 
this  cement  and  then  dried;  the  tickets,  when  moistened  with 
the  tongue,  will  stick  with  the  greatest  tenacity. 

112.  Dextrine,  2  parts;  acetic  acid,  1  part;  water,  5  parts; 
dissolve  in  a  water-bath  and  add  1  part  of  alcohol.  Forms  an 
excellent  mucilage  for  stamps  and  labels  that  are  to  be  kept 
ready  gummed. 

113.  It  is  said  that  for  the  labels  of  seltzer  or  soda  water 
bottles,  the  best  paste  is  one  made  of  good  rye  flour  and  glue 
to  which  linseed  oil  varnish  and  turpentine  have  been  added  in 
the  proportion  of  half  an  ounce  of  each  to  the  pound.  The 
paste  must  be  made  quite  hot,  and  the  oil  incorporated  with  it 
by  thorough  heating.  Labels  attached  by  this  cement  do  not 
fall  off  in  damp  cellars. 

Laboratory  Cement, 

114.  Equal  parts  of  pitch,  resin  and  plaster-of-Paris  united 
by  fusion.  Used  for  lining  casks  for  holding  chloride  of  lime, 
and  for  joining  and  coating  the  masonry  of  acid  chambers,  etc. 

Lapland  Glue.   See  Glue,  Lapland. 

Lead,  Compounds  of. 

115.  Simply  pure  white-lead  ground  in  oil,  and  used  very 
thick,  is  an  excellent  cement  for  mending  broken  crockery 
ware;  but  it  takes  a  very  long  time  to  harden  sufficiently. 
The  best  plan  is  to  place  the  mended  object  in  some  store- 
room, and  not  to  look  after  it  for  several  weeks,  or  even  months. 
After  that  time  it  will  be  found  so  firmly  united  that,  if  ever 
again  broken,  it  will  not  part  on  the  line  of  the  former  frac- 
ture. It  resists  moisture  and  a  heat  not  exceeding  that  of 
boiling  water. 

116.  Take  white  lead,  ground  in  oil,  a  sufficient  quantity. 
Add  dry  red  lead  enough  to  make  a  stiff  putty.  Put  the  mass 
in  a  mortar  or  on  a  block  of  iron  or  smooth  stone,  and  pound 
it  till  it  becomes  soft;  continue  to  add  red  lead,  and  pound  un- 
til the  mass  will  no  longer  become  softer  by  pounding,  nor 


CEMENTS  AND  GLUE. 


45 


stick  to  the  fingers.  At  this  time  it  should  be  of  sufficient 
tenacity  to  stretch  out  three  or  four  inches  when  pulled,  without 
parting.  The  more  protracted  the  pounding,  the  softer,  finer, 
and  more  tenacious  the  cement  becomes.  Interpose  this  putty 
between  the  flanges  of  steam-pipe  joints,  taking  care  to  put 
a  thin  grummet  of  packing  or  wicking  around  the  diameter  of 
the  bore,  to  keep  the  cement  from  squeezing  through  when  the 
flanges  are  screwed  together.  It  is  indestructible  by  steam  or 
water,  and  makes  the  best  joint  known  to  the  engineer. 

117.  Mix  two  parts  of  finely  powdered  litharge  with  one 
part  of  very  fine  sand,  and  one  part  of  quicklime  which  has 
been  allowed  to  slake  spontaneously  by  exposure  to  the  air. 
This  mixture  may  be  kept  for  any  length  of  time  without  in- 
juring. In  using  it  a  portion  is  mixed  into  paste  with  linseed 
oil,  or,  still  better,  boiled  linseed  oil.  In  this  state  it  must  be 
quickly  applied,  as  it  soon  becomes  hard. 

Leather,  Cement  for. 

118.  One  who  has  tried  everything  says,  that  after  an  experi- 
ence of  fifteen  years  he  has  found  nothing  to  equal  the  follow- 
ing: Common  glue  and  isinglass,  equal  parts,  soaked  for  10 
hours  in  just  enough  water  to  cover  them.  Bring  gradually  to 
a  boiling  heat  and  add  pure  tannin  until  the  whole  becomes 
ropy,  or  appears  like  the  white  of  eggs.  Buff  off  the  sur- 
faces to  be  joined,  apply  this  cement  warm,  and  clamp 
firmly. 

119.  Mix  ten  parts  of  sulphide  of  carbon  with  one  of  oil  of 
turpentine,  and  then  add  enough  gutta  percha  to  make  a  tough 
thickly-flowing  liquid.  One  essential  pre-requisite  to  a  thor- 
ough union  of  the  parts  consists  in  freedom  of  the  surfaces  to 
be  joined  from  grease.  This  may  be  attained  by  laying  a  cloth 
upon  them  and  applying  a  hot  iron  for  a  time.  The  cement  is 
then  applied  to  both  pieces,  the  surfaces  brought  in  contact, 
and  pressure  applied  until  the  joint  is  dry. 

120.  Another  leather  cement  is  made  o'f  gutta  percha  dis- 
solved in  bisulphide  of  carbon,  the  mixture  being  about  the 
thickness  of  syrup;  the  parts  to  be  cemented  must  be  well 
coated,  so  as  to  fill  the  pores  of  the  leather;  then  heat  the 
cement  and  join  the  ends,  hammering  the  parts  until  the 
cement  is  cold. 

121.  To  cement  leather  to  metal:  "Wash  the  metal  with  hot 
gelatine;  steep  the  leather  in  an  infusion  of  nut  galls  (hot)  and 
bring  the  two  together. 

Letter  Fixing  Cement.   See  Metal,  Cements  for. 


46 


CEMENTS  AND  GLUE. 


London  Cement. 

Cheese  and  quicklime.  For  method  of  preparation,  see 
Casein  Cement,  No.  36. 

Lut  d>  Ane.    See  No.  36. 

Mahogany  Cement. 

The  following  cements  are  used  to  stop  holes  and  cracks  in 
mahogany  furniture : 

122.  Beeswax,  4  oz. ;  melt  and  add  Indian  red,  1  oz. ;  and 
enough  yellow  ochre  to  produce  the  required  tint. 

123.  Shellac  melted  and  colored  as  above,  very  hard. 

Maissiat's  Cement.    See  Bottte  Cement 
Marble,  Cement  for. 

124.  Keene's  Marble  Cement. — Baked  gypsum  or  plaster-of- 
Paris,  steeped  in  a  saturated  solution  of  alum,  and  then  re-cal- 
cined and  reduced  to  powder.  For  use  it  is  mixed  up  with  water 
as  ordinary  plaster-of-Paris.  This  preparation  forms  a  stucco, 
rather  than  a  cement.  It  take  a  high  polish,  and  when  colored  is 
very  beautiful,  but  does  not  unite  pieces  as  strongly  as  num- 
ber 

125.  An  excellent  cement  for  mending  marble  or  any  kind  of 
stone,  is  made  by  mixing  20  parts  of  litharge  and  1  part  of 
freshly  burned  lime  in  fine  dry  powder.  This  is  made  into  a 
putty  by  linseed  oil.  It  sets  in  a  few  hours,  having  the  ap- 
pearance of  light  stone. 

126.  Resin,  8  parts;  wax,  1  part;  plaster-of-Paris,  4  parts; 
mix  by  fusion.    The  pieces  to  be  joined  must  be  made  hot. 

Marine  Glue. 

Marine  glue  is  probably  the  strongest  cement  known,  and 
•when  wTell  made  and  properly  applied  it  is  capable  of  uniting 
wood,  metal,  glass,  leather,  etc.,  with  a  strength  and  durability 
that  is  astonishing.  "We  have  in  our  possession  jDieces  of  appar- 
atus, the  parts  of  which  are  united  with  this  cement,  and  which 
we  know  to  have  been  in  existence  over  forty  years,  and  which 
are  as  firm  to-day  as  ever. 

Marine  glue  is  a  combination  of  shellac  and  caoutchouc  in 
proportions  which  vary  according  to  the  purposes  for  which 
the  cement  is  to  be  used.  Some  is  very  hard,  others  quite 
soft.  The  degree  of  softness  is  also  regulated  by  the  proportion 
of  naphtha  used  for  dissolving  the  caoutchouc  and  shellac.  It 


CEMENTS  AND  GLUE. 


47 


is  difficult  to  prepare  it  on  the  small  scale,  and  is  not  usually 
found  on  sale  in  this  country.  „  The  following  is  the  formula 
for  the  ordinary  variety : 

127.  India  rubber  (cut  small),  1  part;  coal  tar  naphtha,  12 
parts;  digest  in  a  covered  vessel  with  heat  and  agitation,  and 
when  the  solution  is  complete,  add  of  powdered  shellac,  20 
parts.  Continue  the  heat  and  stirring  until  perfect  liquefaction 
has  taken  place,  and  pour  the  fused  mass,  whilst  still  hot,  on 
slabs  of  polished  metal  or  stone  so  as  to  form  thin  sheets. 
When  used  it  is  to  be  heated  to  its  melting  point,  (248°  to  250° 
Fahr.),  in  an  iron  vessel  and  applied  in  the  liquid  state  with 
a  brush.  Great  care  and  considerable  experience  is  necessary 
to  enable  any  one  to  use  this  cement.  If  the  solid  cement  be 
heated  but  a  very  few  degrees  above  its  melting  point,  it 
crumbles  and  becomes  useless.  We  have  succeeded  by  cutting 
it  in  shreds,  placing  these  between  the  parts  to  be  joined  and 
heating  the  whole  until  the  glue  could  be  pressed  into  uniform 
contact  with  the  entire  surfaces.  Sometimes  it  is  convenient 
to  use  a  form  of  the  glue  which  is  more  fluid,  from  containing 
more  naphtha.  The  following  formulae  answers  in  such  cases, 
but  are  not  as  strong  as  the  ordinary  marine  glue. 

128.  Dissolve  gum  shellac  three  parts,  and  caoutchouc  one 
part,  in  separate  vessels,  in  ether  free  from  alcohol,  applying  a 
gentle  heat.  When  thoroughly  dissolved,  mix  the  two  solu- 
tions. Use  rectified  sulphuric  ether  that  has  been  washed  to 
remove  alcohol  and  acidity,  and  India  rubber  that  has  not  been 
vulcanized.  When  the  caoutchouc  has  become  well  softened  by 
the  ether,  break  it  up  into  small  pieces  and  stir  wrell  until  a 
homogeneous  soft  mass  is  obtained.  It  will  be  as  well  to  cut  the 
rubber  into  small  pieces  before  pouring  the  ether  on  them,  but 
the  mass  must  be  frequently  and  well  stirred.  Pour  the  solu- 
tion of  shellac  into  [that  of  the  rubber,  and  incorporate  them 
thoroughly  by  stirring. 

This  is  a  modification  of  the  famous  marine  glue,  and  resists 
the  action  of  water,  both  hot  and  cold,  and  most  of  the  acids 
and  alkalies.  If  the  glue  be  thinned  by  the  admixture  of 
ether,  and  applied  as  a  varnish  to  leather,  along  the  seams 
where  it  is  sewed  together,  it  renders  the  joint  or  seam  water- 
tight, and  almost  impossible  to  separate.  • 

129.  The  following  recipe,  taken  from  JVew  Remedies,  is  said 
to  yield  a  strong  cement:  10  parts  of  caoutchouc  or  India  rub- 
ber, are  dissolved  in  120  parts  of  benzine  or  petroleum  (?) 
naphtha  with  the  aid  of  a  gentle  heat.  When  the  solution  is 
complete,  which  sometimes  requires  10  to  14  days,  20  parts  of 
asphalt  are  melted  in  an  iron  vessel^  ajad  the  caoutchouc  solu-  * 


48 


CEMENTS  AND  GLUE. 


tion  is  poured  in  very  slowly,  in  a  fine  stream,  and  under  con- 
tinued heating,  until  the  mass  has  become  homogeneous,  and 
nearly  all  of  the  solvent  has  Been  driven  off.  It  is  then  poured 
out  and  cast  into  greased  tin  moulds.  It  forms  dark-brown  or 
black  cakes,  which  are  very  hard  to  break.  This  cement  re- 
quires considerable  heat  to  melt  it;  and  to  prevent  it  from  be- 
ing burnt,  it  is  best  to  heat  a  capsule  containing  a  piece  of  it 
first  on  a  water-bath,  until  the  cake  softens  and  begins  to  be 
liquid.  It  is  then  carefully  wiped  dry,  and  heated  over  a 
naked  flame,  under  constant  stirring,  up  to  about  300°  F.  The 
edges  of  the  article  to  be  mended  should,  if  possible,  also  be 
heated  to  at  least  212°  F.,  so  as  to  permit  the  cement  to  be  ap- 
plied at  leisure  and  with  care.  The  thinner  the  cement  is  ap- 
plied, the  better  it  binds. 

Mastich  Cliaud. 

This  term  is  applied  by  the  French  to  those  resinous  cements 
which  are  liquid  when  hot,  and  which  become  more  or  less 
solid  by  cooling.  Of  these,  common  sealing-wax  is  the  most 
useful. 

Meerschaum,  Cement  for. 

The  best  cement  for  joining  pieces  of  meerschaum,  is  Egg 

Cement 9  which  see. 

Metal,  To  Cement  to  Glass,  Stone,  etc. 

For  attaching  metal  plates,  such  as  letters,  etc.,  to  flat  sheets 
of  glass  the  f  ollowing  may  be  used. 

130.  Copal  varnish,  15;  drying  oil,  5;  turpentine,  3.  Melt  in 
a  water-bath  and  add  10  parts  slaked  lime. 

131.  Copal  varnish,  15  parts;  boiled  linseed  oil,  5;  "Venice 
turpentine,  5;  glue  melted  in  the  smallest  possible  quantity  of 
water,  5  parts.  Melt  together  and  add  10  parts  of  powdered 
quicklime. 

132.  Carpenter's  glue,  4  j3arts;  Venice  turpentine  1  part. 
Mucilage.    See  Gum  Arabic. 

Milk  Cement. 

133.  This  cement  is  not  so  generally  known  as  it  ought  to 
be.  It  is  the  simplest  and  best  domestic  cement  for  repairing 
china  and  crockery.  The  process  consists  simply  in  tying 
the  parts  firmly  together  and  boiling  them  in  skim  milk.  The 
tying  together  of  the  pieces  of  a  round  cup  or  bowl  is  not  a 
very  simple  matter,  but  it  can  be  done  by  going  the  right  way 
to  work.  First,  arrange  the  parts  in  their  proper  positions, 
and,  if  a  bowl,  sejb  it  mouth  down,  as  the  pieces  will  keep  their 


CEMENTS  AND  GLUE. 


49 


arrangement  best  in  this  position.  Then  wind  stout  tape  round 
the  article,  so  as  to  hold  the  pieces  together.  Tape  is  far  better 
than  twine,  and  some  pieces  should  be  kept  for  this  purpose. 
It  is  easy  to  draw  the  tape  tight  until  we  come  to  tie  the  ends, 
and  then  special  devices  must  be  used.  "When  sufficient  tape 
has  been  wound  round  the  article,  let  one  person  hold  it  from 
slipping,  by  pressing  a  finger  firmly  on  each  end,  and  then  let 
another  person  tie  the  ends  in  a  firm  knot,  but  leaving  the  tape 
so  loose  from  the  article  that  a  pencil  or  stout  skewer  may  be 
passed  under  it.  Then  by  twisting  the  skewer  the  tape  is 
tightened  in  the  same  way  that  a  surgeon  compresses  an  artery 
with  his  tourniquet,  and  by  passing  the  fingers  over  the  tape, 
and  smoothing  it  forward  toward  the  ends,  all  the  pieces  may 
be  pressed  together  with  a  firmness  that  cannot  be  obtained  in 
any  other  way. 

The  article  should  now  be  placed  in  a  pan  of  cold  milk 
(skim-milk  is  the  best  and  cheapest),  which  should  be  gradually 
heated  to  the  boiling  point,  and  kept  at  this  temperature  for 
some  time — say  half  an  hour  to  an  hour — care  being  taken  not 
to  allow  it  to  burn.  The  articles  are  allowed  to  cool  in  the 
milk,  and  when  taken  out  are  wiped  dry  and  allowed  to  stand 
for  a  day  or  two  until  the  cement  has  become  quite  hard. 
They  may  then  be  washed  off  with  warm  water,  and  the  parts 
will  be  found  to  be  strongly  cemented  together.  The  same 
milk  may  be  used  again,  but  not  with  such  good  effect. 
Generally,  however,  it  is  possible  to  pack  quite  a  number  of 
articles  in  the  pan  in  the  first  place,  especially  if  they  can  be 
nested,  or  placed  one  within  the  other. 

Opticians'  Cement. 

The  cements  obtained  from  the  following  formulae,  are  used 
by  opticians  for  fixing  lenses,  prisms,  etc.,  to  chucks  and  hold- 
ers, while  they  are  being  ground. 

134.  Pitch,  5  parts;  wood  ashes  1  part;  tallow,  1  part,  less  or 
more,  according  to  the  temperature  of  the  season. 

135.  Shellac  softened  with  rectified  spirit  or  wood  naphtha. 

136.  Beeswax,  1  oz. :  resin,  15  oz. ;  melt  and  add  5  oz.  of 
whiting  previously  heated  red  hot  and  still  warm. 

137.  Eesin.  1  lb. ;  melt  and  add  dry  and  warm  plaster  4  oz. 
This  forms  a  very  strong  cement  for  rough  purposes. 

Parabolic  Cement. 

138.  This  is  a  variety  of  casein  or  cheese  cement,  prepared 
as  follows:  Curdle  skim-milk  with  rennet  or  vinegar,  press  out 
the  whey,  and  dry  the  curd  by  a  very  gentle  heat,  but  as  quickly 
as  possible.    When  quite  dry  grind  it  in  a  pepper  or  coffee 


50 


CEMENTS  AND  GLUE. 


mill,  and  triturate  it  in  a  mortar  until  reduced  to  a  very  fine 
powder.  Mix  ten  parts  by  weight  of  this  powder  with 
one  part  of  quicklime,  also  in  very  fine  powder,  and  to  every 
ounce  of  the  mixture  add  5  or  6  grains  of  camphor.  Triturate 
the  whole  well  together  and  keep  in  phials  well  corked. 

Used  to  unite  glass,  earthenware,  etc.,  which  it  does  very 
strongly.  It  is  made  into  a  paste  with  a  little  water  as  wanted, 
and  applied  immediately.    See  Casein  Cement. 

Parian  Cement. 

139.  Same  as  Keene's  marble  cement,  (see  Marble),  substi- 
tuting a  solution  of  borax  for  a  solution  of  alum. 

Paris  Cement. 

140.  This  cement  is  used  for  mending  shells  and  other  speci- 
mens of  natural  history.  It  is  composed  of  gum  Arabic,  5; 
sugar  candy,  2.    White  lead,  enough  to  color. 

Paste. 

Next  to  glue,  paste  is  the  most  extensively  used,  and  the  most 
valuable  cement  that  we  have.  For  ordinary  purposes  it 
consists  simply  of  flour,  made  into  a  thin  cream  with  water  and 
boiled.  It  then  forms  a  stiffish  mass  which  may  be  diluted 
with  water  so  as  to  bring  it  to  any  required  condition  of  thick- 
ness. There  are  two  distinct  elements  in  flour,  both  of  which 
are  valuable,  one  is  starch,  and  the  other  is  gluten.  The 
cheaper  kinds  of  flour,  and  especially  rye  flour,  are  rich  in 
gluten  while  wheat  flour  is  rich  in  starch.  In  the  latter  case 
it  is  sometimes  of  advantage  to  add  a  little  common  glue  to 
the  paste. 

For  ordinary  purposes  no  additions  are  necessary,  but  where 
paste  is  to  be  kept  for  a  long  time,  various  ingredients  may 
be  added,  to  prevent  souring  and  moulding.  A  few  cloves 
form,  perhaps,  the  best  preservative  for  small  quantities. 
On  the  larger  scale  carbolic  acid  may  be  used.  If  it  wera 
not  for  the  expense,  salicylic  acid  would  form  a  good  pre- 
servative. 

According  to  the  statement  of  Herr  P.  Lung,  souring  and 
moulding  may  be  entirely  prevented  by  the  addition  and 
thorough  mixture  with  the  freshly-prepared  paste  of  a  few 
grains  of  salicylic  acid.    When  thus  treated,  a  paste  may  be 


CEMENTS  AND  GLUE. 


51 


kept  for  weeks  in  a  heated  room  without  losing  its  freshness, 
and  even  when  it  has,  by  long  standing,  become  dry  and 
tough,  may  be  at  once  rendered  fluid  and  serviceable  by  treat- 
ment with  hot  water.  The  addition  of  the  acid  does  not,  ac- 
cording to  this  author,  affect  the  stickiness  of  the  paste  to  any 
sensible  degree. 

When  it  is  desired  to  prevent  the  attacks  of  insects,  either 
before  or  after  use,  the  addition  of  corrosive  sublimate  is  a 
sure  preservative,  but  as  this  substance  is  a  powerful  poison, 
great  care  must  be  exercised  when  it  is  employed.  The  fol- 
lowing formulsB  give  good  results. 

141.  Starch  Paste. — This  is  best  prepared  by  triturating  the 
starch  with  cold  water  in  a  mortar  until  no  lumps  remain,  and 
not  too  thick  a  mass  is  formed,  and  pouring  into  this  boiling 
water  very  slowly,  with  rapid  stirring,  until  the  paste  begins  to 
form,  as  indicated  by  the  increase  of  transparency,  and  then 
rapidly  adding  the  rest  of  the  boiling  water  necessary  for  the 
paste.  Boiling  the  paste  is  very  injurious,  rendering  it  less  ad- 
hesive, and  liable  to  peel  off.  Rye  flour  affords  a  more  adhesive 
paste  than  starch,  but  of  a  gray  color.  The  addition  of  a  little 
alum  to  the  water  with  which  paste  is  prepared  renders  it  more 
permanent,  and  the  use  of  boiling  lime  water  instead  of  pure 
water  adds  to  its  adhesiveness.  An  aqueous  extract  of  decom- 
posed gluten,  however,  affords  the  best  paste  with  starch.  By 
incorporating  with  the  paste  a  quantity  of  turpentine,  equal 
in  weight  to  half  of  the  starch  employed,  and  stirring  well 
while  the  paste  is  still  hot,  it  will  be  rendered  more  imper- 
vious to  moisture,  and  at  the  same  time  more  adhesive. 

142.  Com  Starch  Paste. — Corn  starch  makes  a  good  paste  for 
scrap-books.  Dissolve  a  small  quantity  in  cold  water,  then 
cook  it  thoroughly.  Be  careful  and  not  get  it  too  thick. 
When  cold  it  should  be  thin  enough  to  apply  with  a  brush. 
It  is  not  so  liable  to  mold  and  stain  the  paper  as  paste  made 
from  other  kinds  of  starch. 

143.  Paste  for  Mounting  Photographs. — Mix  thoroughly  630 
grains  of  the  finest  Bermuda  arrowroot  with  375  grains  of  cold 
water  in  a  capsule,  with  a  spoon  or  brush;  then  add  1(H  ounces 
of  water  and  60  grains  of  gelatin  in  fine  shreds.  Boil,  with 
stirring,  for  five  minutes,  or  until  the  liquid  becomes  clear, 
and  when  cold  stir  in  well  375  grains  of  alcohol,  and  five  or  six 
drops  of  pure  carbolic  acid.  Keep  in  well-closed  vessels,  and 
before  using  it,  work  up  a  portion  with  a  brush  in  a  dish. 

144.  Four  parts,  by  weight,  of  glue  are  allowed  to  soften 


52 


CEMENTS  AND  GLUE. 


in  15  parts  of  cold  water  for  some  hours,  and  then  moder- 
ately heated  till  the  solution  becomes  quite  clear.  65  parts  of 
boiling  water  are  now  added  with  stirring.  In  another  vessel 
30  parts  of  starch  paste  are  stirred  up  with  20  parts  of  cold 
water,  so  that  a  thin  milky  fluid  is  obtained  without  lumps. 
Into  this  the  boiling  glue  solution  is  poured,  with  constant 
stirring,  and  the  whole  is  kept  at  the  boiling  temperature. 
After  cooling,  10  drops  of  carbolic  acid  are  added  to  the 
paste.  This  paste  is  of  extraordinary  adhesive  power,  and 
may  be  used  for  leather,  paper,  or  cardboard  with  great  suc- 
cess. It  must  be  preserved  in  closed  bottles  to  prevent 
evaporation  of  the  water,  and  will,  in  this  way,  keep  good  for 
years. 

145.  Fine  wheat  starch,  1  oz. ;  beat  into  a  paste  with  cold 
water;  best  glue,  4  oz.  Soak  the  glue,  and  when  soft,  boil 
it  and  add  the  starch  paste,  stirring  well.  Boil  the  whole  until 
it  is  quite  thick,  and  set  aside  to  cool.  It  keeps  well,  and 
when  required  for  use  may  be  instantly  dissolved  in  a  little 
warm  water. 

146.  Two  ounces  of  starch,  one  ounce  of  white  glue,  half  an 
ounce  of  acetic  acid,  a  few  drops  of  oil  of  cloves.  Dissolve  the 
glue  in  cold  water  and  then  boil.  Mix  the  starch  with  cold 
water,  and  pour  into  the  glue  while  boiling. 

147.  Rice  flour  makes  an  excellent  paste  for  fine  paper 
work. 

148.  Gum  tragacanth  and  water  make  an  ever  ready  paste. 
A  few  drops  of  any  kind  of  acid  should  be  added  to  the 
water  before  putting  in  the  gum,  to  prevent  fermentation. 
This  paste  will  not  give  that  semi-transparent  look  to  thin 
paper,  that  gum  Arabic  sometimes  gives,  when  used  for 
mucilage. 

Peasley  Cement. 

149.  Many  of  our  readers  have  seen  a  load  of  hay  drawn  by 
a  span  of  horses,  the  whole  got  up  for  the  purpose  of  making  an 
exhibit  and  sale  of  the  celebrated  Peasley  cement.  "It  will 
cement  my  leather  traces  if  cut  in  two,  so  that  they  will  be  as 
strong  as  ever,"  the  vender  is  wont  to  cry.  A  recipe  for  this 
cement  was  published  in  a  well-known  technological  journal 
about  the  time  of  the  first  appearance  of  the  cement.  We 
doubt  the  accuracy  of  the  formulae,  however,  and  believe  that 
the  Pease! ey  cement  was  merely  a  modification  of  the  well- 
known  Armenian  cement,  which  see.  The  following  is  the 
recipe  alluded  to:  Prepare  a  solution  of  two  hundred  parts  of 
white  glue  in  water;  another  one  of  fifty  parts  of  isinglass, 
three  of  gum  Arabic,  and  three  of  tragacanth;  and  finally,  an- 


CEMENTS  AND  GLUE. 


53 


other  of  one  part  of  shellac  in  alcohol.  Then  pour  these  three 
solutions  together,  mix  them  with  twenty-four  parts  of  white 
lead,  and  add  twelve  parts  of  the  best  glycerine,  and  two  hundred 
parts  of  alcohol.  The  tnastic  thus  obtained  should  be  imme- 
mediately  \mt  up  in  bottles  and  well  corked. 

Persian  Cement.    See  Armenian  Cement,  No.  4. 

Plumbers'  Cement. 

150.  Black  resin,  1  part;  brick  dust,  2  parts.  The  brick  dust 
should  be  finely  powdered,  thoroughly  dried  and  added  to  the 
resin  when  the  latter  is  in  a  melted  state. 

Porcelain  Cement. 

151.  Add  plaster-of- Paris  to  a  strong  solution  of  alum  till  the 
mixture  is  of  the  consistency  of  cream.  It  sets  readily,  and 
is  said  to  unite  glass,  metal,  porcelain,  etc.,  quite  firmly.  It 
is  probably  suited  for  cases  in  which  large  rather  than  small 
surfaces  are  to  be  united. 

Rubber  Cement.    See  India  Rubber, 

Seal  Engravers'  Cement. 

Used  for  fixing  seals,  etc.,  while  being  engraved.  See  Op- 
ticians' Cement  and  Turners'  Cement. 

Shellac. 

152.  Shellac,  made  up  into  sticks  of  the  size  of  a  lead  pencil, 
is  frequently  sold  as  a  cement  which  will  resist  water,  acids, 
oils,  etc.,  and  it  answers  very  well.  Sometimes  it  is  mixed 
with  very  fine  powders  either  to  give  it  body,  or  to  color  it. 
Zinc  white  or  plaster-of-Paris  may  be  used  to  make  it  white; 
ivory  black,  for  black ;  brick  dust,  red  ochre  and  vermillion  for 
different  shades  of  red. 

The  objects  to  be  cemented  together  are  first  warmed  till  they 
melt  the  shellac  brought  in  contact  with  them.  This  is  very 
good  to  cement  broken  glass,  porcelain,  etc.,  especially  as  the 
objects  are  again  ready  for  use  immediately  when  cold;  but 
it  is  not  adapted  for  flexible  objects,  as  it  cracks.  It  will  not 
withstand  heat  or  alcohol,  which  softens  the  shellac. 

Shellac  is  soluble  in  alcohol,  when  it  forms  what  is  known 
as  Chinese  glue.  It  is  also  soluble  in  wood  naphtha.  Con- 
trary to  published  statements  to  that  effect,  (see  Dick's  "  Cyclo- 
paedia of  Eecipes,"  No.  2156)  shellac  does  not  form  as  strong 
a  cement  when  in  the  state  of  solution  as  when  melted  by 
heat.  ^ 

Instead  of  using  aicohol  or  benzine,  a  watery  solution  of 
borax  may  be  used  for  dissolving  shellac.    Take  of  borax,  100 


54 


CEMENTS  AND  GLUE. 


parts;  rain  (or  distilled)  water,  2,250  parts,  heat  to  boiling,  and 
while  stirring,  gradually  add  powdered  shellac,  300  parts. 
When  dissolved,  strain  through  muslin  and  preserve.  This 
forms  a  water-proof  varnish.  Paper  soaked  with  this  is  water- 
proof and  resembles  parchment. 

Shellac  makes  the  best  black  cement  for  articles  of  jet.  It  is 
made  black  by  smoking  it  in  the  flame  of  a  lamp  or  candle. 

153.  Hoenle's  Cement. — Shellac,  2  parts;  Venice  turpentine,  1 
part;  fuse  together  and  form  into  sticks. 

154.  It  is  sometimes  necessary  to  pulverize  shellac,  and  any 
one  who  has  tried  to  pound  up  shellac  in  a  mortar  knows  that 
the  attempt  is  more  favorable  to  perspiration  and  profanity 
then  to  the  pulverization  of  the  slippery  stuff.  A  correspondent 
of  the  Druggists'  Circular  has  devised  the  following  method: 
"  Enclose  the  shellac  in  a  strong,  closely- woven  piece  of  cloth, 
at  first  compressing  the  folds  rather  tightly,  but  gradually  re- 
laxing them.  Then,  after  placing  the  bunch,  which  must  be 
held  in  position  with  the  hand,  upon  a  solid  block  or  smooth 
counter,  the  strokes  of  a  heavy  iron  pestle  are  applied,  gently  at 
first,  while  the  bunch  is  kept  moving  from  side  to  side,  so  as  to 
expose  every  part  to  the  strokes  of  the  pestel.  After  the  large, 
sharp  pieces  are  broken,  the  strokes  are  increased  in  velocity 
and  power,  with  wonderful  effect  upon  the  resin,  and  but  little 
injury  to  the  cloth.  In  this  way  shellac  may  be  reduced  to  a 
granular  form  sufficiently  fine  for  pyrotechnic  purposes  at  very 
short  notice,  and  to  an  almost  impalpable  powder  in  a  com- 
paratively short  space  of  time.  To  produce  this  result,  how- 
ever, it  is  necessary  to  wield  the  pestle  forcibly,  and  then  from 
time  to  time  separate  the  finer  particles  from  the  coarser  by 
sifting." 

Schio-liao.    See  Chinese  Cement 

Singer's  Cement.   See  Cap  Cement  » 
Soft  Cement.    See  Chemical  Cement 
Soluble  Glass  Cements. 

155.  When  finely-pulverized  chalk  is  stirred  into  a  solution 
of  soluble  glass  of  30°  Baume  until  the  mixture  is  fine  and 
plastic,  a  cement  is  obtained  which  will  harden  in  between  six 
and  eight  hours,  possessing  an  extraordinary  durability,  and 
alike  applicable  for  domestic  and  industrial  purposes.  It  may 
be  used  for  uniting  stone,  brick,  etc.,  and  for  filling  up  cracks. 
In  short,  it  seems  to  be  ajDplicable  to  about  the  same  purposes 
for  which  plaster-of-Paris  is  used,  but  it  is  much  harder  and 
stronger.  If  for  part  of  the  chalk  some  coloring  matter  be 
substituted,  differently  colored  cements  of  the  same  general 


CEMENTS  AND  GLUE. 


55 


character  are  obtained.  The  following  materials  give  good 
results : 

156.  Finely-pulverized  or  levigated  stibnite  (grey  antimony, 
or  black  sulphide  of  antimony)  will  produce  a  dark  cement, 
which,  after  burnishing  with  an  agate,  will  present  a  metallic 
appearance. 

156.  Pulverized  cast  iron,  a  grey  cement. 

158.  Zinc  dust  (so-called  zinc  grey),  an  exceedingly  hard 
grey  cement,  which,  after  burnishing,  will  exhibit  the  white 
and  brilliant  appearance  of  metallic  zinc.  This  cement  may 
be  employed  with  advantage  in  mending  ornaments  and  vessels 
of  zinc,  sticking  alike  well  to  metals,  stone,  and  wood. 

159.  Carbonate  of  copper,  a  bright  green  cement. 

160.  Sesquioxide  of  chromium,  a  dark  green  cement. 

161.  Thenard's  blue  (cobalt  blue),  a  blue  cement. 

162.  Minium,  an  orange-colored  cement. 

163.  Vermillion,  a  splendid  red  cement. 

164.  Carmine  red,  a  violet  cement. 

Sorel's  Cement. 

There  are  two  different  cements  which  go  by  the  name  of 
Sorel's  Cement;  namely,  the  * 4  Oxy chloride  of  Zinc  Ce- 
ment," and  the  "Magnesia  Cement." 

165.  Oxy chloride  of  Zinc  Cement. — A  solution  of  chloride  of 
zinc  is  prepared  by  dissolving  zinc  in  hydrochloric  acid,  so  that 
some  metallic  zinc  always  remains  undissolved.  The  solution 
is  filtered  and  concentrated  until  it  has  the  spec.  grav.  1*800. 

Commercial  oxide  of  zinc  is  mixed  with  water  containing 
2  per  cent,  of  nitric  acid  to  a  stiff  paste,  which,  after  being 
dried,  is  heated  in  crucibles  to  a  white  heat,  after  which  it  is 
reduced  to  an  impalpable  powder.  The  object  of  this  baking 
is  to  reduce  the  oxide  to  as  small  a  bulk  as  possible,  in  which 
condition  it  has  more  binding  power.  The  powder  must  be 
kept  from  contact  with  the  air,  to  prevent  access  of  moisture 
and  carbonic  acid  gas. 

On  bringing  together  the  oxide  and  solution  of  chloride  of 
zinc,  the  whole  solidifies  in  a  few  minutes  to  a  very  hard  mass. 
If  it  is  desired  to  retard  the  hardening,  the  zinc  solution 
may  be  diluted  to  about  1*500-1  *600  spec,  gr.,  and  the  oxide 
of  zinc  may  be  mixed  with  2  to  3  per  cent,  of  borax  or  chloride 
of  ammonium. 

166.  Magnesia  Cement. — This  was  originally  prepared  by 
Sorel,  of  Paris,  from  magnesite  (chiefly  native  carbonate  of 
magnesium),  by  making  a  paste  with  powdered  magnesite, 
10  to  20  per  cent,  of  hydrochloric  acid,  and  a  sufficient  quantity 


56 


CEMENTS  AND  GLUE. 


of  water,  forming  the  mass  into  bricks,  then  burning  them  at 
a  strong  heat,  and  finally  grinding  them.  This  yields  a  very 
hard,  bright-colored  cement,  which  bears  large  dilution  with 
sand,  but  is  not  entirely  water-proof. 

Since  the  immense  saline  deposits  at  Stassfurt  have  been 
worked,  this  cement  is  prepared  from  kieserite  (a  native  hy- 
drated  sulphate  of  magnesium),  many  thousand  tons  of  which 
are  annually  obtained.  Kieserite  is  mixed  with  calcium  hy- 
drate, in  the  proportion  of  two  molecules  of  the  former  to  one 
of  the  latter,  with  addition  of  water;  the  mass  is  formed  into 
bricks  or  cakes,  dried,  and  "  burnt,"  and  powdered.  The 
powdered  mass  when  moistened  solidities  to  a  marble-like  mass, 
which  does  not,  however,  permanently  resist  moisture,  and  is 
best  used  only  in  the  interior  of  buildings. 

167.  The  following  composition  forms  an  excellent  material 
for  moulding  or  for  uniting  stone,  etc.  Mix  commercial  zinc 
white  with  \  its  bulk  of  fine  sand,  adding  a  solution  of  chloride 
of  zinc  of  1  *26  specific  gravity,  and  rub  the  whole  thoroughly 
together  in  a  mortar.  The  mixture  must  be  applied  at  once, 
as  it  hardens  very  quickly. 

Steam  Cements. 

The  cements  usually  employed  for  making  steam  tight  joints 
are  composed  of  white  lead  and  litharge  in  various  proportions. 

See  Lead,  Compounds  of. 

168.  A  steam-tight  cement  which  is  said  to  be  superior  to 
the  ordinary  white  and  red  lead  cement,  is  obtained  by  mixing 
six  parts  of  finely  pulverized  plumbago,  three  parts  of  slaked 
lime,  eight  parts  of  sulphate  of  barytes,  and  seven  parts  of 
boiled  linseed  oil.  These  ingredients  must  be  intimately 
mixed. 

Tragacanth.    See  Gum  Tragacanth. 
Transparent  Cement.    See  Canada  Balsam. 
Turkish  Cement.  See  Armenian  Cement,  No.  4. 
Turners'  Cement. 

169.  Melt  1  lb.  of  resin  in  a  pan  over  the  fire,  and  when 
melted,  add  a  £  of  a  lb.  of  pitch.  While  these  are  boiling  add 
brick  dust  until,  by  dropping  a  little  on  a  cold  stone,  you  think 
it  hard  enough.  In  winter  it  may  be  necessary  to  add  a  little 
tallow.  By  means  of  this  cement  a  piece  of  wood  may  be  fastened 
to  the  chuck,  which  will  hold  when  cool;  and  when  the  work 
is  finished  it  may  be  removed  by  a  smart  stroke  with  the  tool 


CEMENTS  AND  GLUE. 


57 


Any  traces  of  the  cement  may  be  removed  from  the  work  by 
means  of  benzine. 

170.  The  heat  necessary  to  melt  the  ordinary  turners'  cement 
is  liable  to  warp  thin  plates  of  brass,  and  in  some  cases,  as  for 
example  circles  of  mathematical  instruments  that  require  to  be 
graduated,  this  is  very  objectionable.  In  such  cases  plaster-of- 
Paris  is  the  best  cement  to  use. 

Universal  Cement.    See  Parabolic  Cement. 

Yarley's  Cement.    See  Cap  Cement 

Waterproof  Cement. 

171.  Glue  to  which  bichromate  of  potash  has  been  added 
and  which  has  afterwards  been  exposed  to  strong  sunlight,  be- 
comes insoluble.  The  proportions  are  not  very  well  ascertained, 
but  about  one  part  of  the  bichromate,  dissolved  in  water,  and 
added  to  a  solution  of  six  parts  of  solid  glue,  answers  very 
well. 

The  following  is  a  valuable  cement  which,  if  properly  ap- 
plied, will  be  insoluble  even  in  boiling  water:  Gelatin,  5  parts; 
soluble  acid  chromate  of  lime,  1  part.  Cover  the  broken  edges 
with  this,  press  lightly  together,  and  expose  to  the  sunlight; 
the  effect  of  the  latter  being  to  render  the  compound  in- 
soluble. 

173.  It  is  said  by  the  British  Journal  of  Photogi*ap7iy,  that 
the  following  recipe  gives  excellent  results:  Take  alcohol,  1 
pint;  sandarac,  1  ounce;  mastic  1  ounce;  common  white  turpen- 
tine, 1  ounce;  glue  and  isinglass,  sufficient;  water,  sufficient. 
Dissolve  the  two  resins — sandarac  and  mastic — in  the  spirit,  and 
and  then  add  the  turpentine  to  the  solution.  Make  some  very 
strong  glue,  and  add  to  it  a  good  pinch  of  isinglass.  Now  heat 
the  alcoholic  varnish  until  the  liquid  begins  to  boil,  then  very 
slowly  stir  in  the  warm  glue.  The  amount  of  the  liquid  glue 
to  be  added  is  determined  by  noting  the  point  at  which,  after 
thorough  mixture,  a  magma  or  thin  paste  is  formed,  capable  of 
being  easily  strained  through  cloth.  When  required  for  use, 
the  strained  mixture  is  to  be  warmed,  and  applied  like* ordin- 
ary glue  to  the  articles  to  be  united.  A  strong  junction  is 
effected,  which  is  not  destroyed  by  cold  water,  and  only  after 
a  comparatively  considerable  time  by  hot  water  or  ordinary 
saline  solutions. 

174.  Glue,  one  part;  skimmed  milk,  eight  parts.  Melt  and 
evaporate  in  a  water-bath  to  the  consistence  of  strong  glue. 
This  cement  cannot  be  called  waterproof,  but  it  resists  the 
action  of  water  better  than  common  glue. 

175.  Melt  common  glue  with  as  little  water  as  possible, 


58 


CEMENTS  AND  GLUE. 


add  l-8th  of  boiled  linseed  oil,  dropping  it  gently  into  the  glue, 
which  is  to  be  stirred  all  the  time. 

Wollaston's  White  Cement. 

176.  This  is  a  very  valuable  cement  for  large  objects,  such 
as  shells,  fossils,  etc:  Beeswax,  1  oz. ;  resin,  4  oz. ;  powdered 
plaster-of-Paris,  5  oz.  Melt  together.  To  use,  warm  the 
edges  of  the  specimen  and  use  the  cement  warm. 

Zeiodelite. 

177.  This  cement  consists  of  19  parts  of  sulphur,  and  42 
parts  of  powdered  glass  or  earthenware,  mixed  thoroughly  to- 
gether by  heating  the  sulphur.  It  may  be  used  instead  of 
hydraulic  cement  for  uniting  stones  or  bricks,  and  for  cement- 
ing iron  rods  into  holes  cut  in  stone. 


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Tile  Amateur's  Handbook  of  Practical  Information, 

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This  is  a  handy  little  book,  containing  just  the  information  needed 
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Rhymes  of  Science:  Wise  and  Otherwise. 

By  O.  W.  Holmes,  Bret  Hart,  Ingoldsby,  Prof.  Forbes, 
Prof.  J.  W.  McQ.  Kankine,  Hon.  B.  W.  Baymond,  and 
others. 

With  Illustrations.  Cloth,  Gilt  Title.     -   60  cents 


The  Microscopisfs  Annual  for  1879. 

Contains  List  of  all  the  Microscopical  Societies  in  the 
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etc. ;  Alphabetical  and  Classified  Lists  of  all  the  Manu- 
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in  Europe  and  America,  etc.,  etc. ;  Postal  Kates,  Eules 
and  Kegulations,  prepared  expressly  for  microscopists ; 
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Microscope  Objectives. 

The  Angular  Aperture  of  Microscope  Objectives.  By 
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Kutzing  on  Diatoms. — Nearly  ready. 

The  Siliceous  Shelled  Bacillarise  or  Diatomacese;  the 
History  of  their  Discovery  and  Classification ;  their  Dis- 
tribution, Collection,  and  Life-History.  By  Friedrich 
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Hamilton  L.  Smith,  of  Geneva,  N.  Y.  12mo.,  Cloth, 
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Section  Cutting. 

A  Practical  Guide  to  the  Preparation  and  Mounting  oi 

Sections  for  the  Microscope ;  Special  Prominence  being 

given  to  the  Subject  of  Animal  Sections.   By  Sylvester 

Marsh.    Eeprinted  from  the  London  edition.  With 

Illustrations.   12mo.,  Cloth,  Gilt  Title.         •    75  cents. 

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enlarged  by  valuable  explanatory  notes,  and  also  by  extended  direc- 
tions, illustrated  with  engravings,  for  selecting  and  sharpening 
knives  and  razors. 

A  Book  for  Beginners  with  the  Microscope. 

Being  an  abridgment  of  "  Practical  Hints  on  the  Selection 
and  Use  of  the  Microscope.' '  By  JohnPhin.  Fully  illus- 
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managing  the  instrument  and  preparing  objects. 

How  to  Use  the  Microscope. 

"  Practical  Hints  on  the  Selection  and  Use  of  the  Micro- 
scrope.,,  Intended  for  Beginners.  By  John  Phin, 
Editor  of  the  "  American  Journal  of  Microscopy." 
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The  Microscope. 

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Gilt  Title.  75  cents. 

This  is  the  celebrated  article  contributed  by  Andrew  Ross  to  the 
"Penny  Cyclopeedia,"  and  quoted  so  frequently  by  writers  on  the 
Microscope.  Carpenter  and  Hogg,  in  the  last  editions  of  their  works 
on  the  Microscope,  and  Brooke,  in  his  treatise  on  Natural  Philoso- 
phy, all  refer  to  this  article  as  the  best  source  for  full  and  clear 
information  in  regard  to  the  principles  upon  which  the  modern 
achromatic  Microscope  is  constructed.  It  should  be  in  the  library 
of  every  person  to  whom  the  Microscope  is  more  than  a  toy.  It  is 
written  in  simple  language,  free  from  abstruse  technicalities. 


Diatoms. 

Practical  Directions  for  Collecting,  Preserving,  Trans- 
porting, Preparing  and  Mounting  Diatoms.   By  Prof.  A, 
Mead  Edwards,  M.  D.,  Prof.  Christopher  Johnston,  M.  D., 
Prof.  Hamilton  L.  Smith,  LL.  D. 
l2mo.,  Cloth.         -  75  cents. 

This  volume  undoubtedly  contains  the  most  complete  series  of 
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Common  Objects  for  the  Microscope. 

By  Eev.  J.  G.  Wood.   Upwards  of  four  hundred  illus- 
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Illuminated  Covers.  50  cents. 

This  book  contains  a  very  complete  description  of  the  objects  ordi- 
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object  is  figured,  it  is  a  most  valuable  assistant  to  the  young  micro- 
ecopist. 


Five  Hundred  and  Seven  Mechanical  Movements. 

Embracing  all  those  which  are  Most  Important  in  Dy- 
namics, Hydraulics,  Hydrostatics,  Pneumatics,  Steam 
Engines,  Mill  and  Other  Gearing,  Presses,  Horology  and 
Miscellaneous  Machinery;  and  including  Many  Move- 
ments never  before  published,  and  several  of  which  have 
only  recently  come  into  use.   By  Henry  T.  Brown,  editor 
of  the  "American  Artisan."  Eleventh  Edition.  $1.00. 
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available.  Every  mechanic  that  hopes  to  be  more  workman,  ought 
to  have  a  copy. 


The  Six  Days  of  Creation. 

The  Chemical  History  of  the  Six  Days  of  Creation.  By 
John  Phin,  C.  E.',  editor  of  "  The  American  Journal  of 
Microscopy."  12mo.,  Cloth.         -        -         75  cents. 


Stories  About  Horses. 

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Instruction  in  the  Art  of  Wood  Engraving. 

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atus, and  Concise  Directions  for  their  Use ;  Explanation 
of  the  Terms  Used,  and  the  Methods  Employed  for  Pro- 
ducing the  Various  Classes  of  Wood  Engravings.  By  S. 
E.  Fuller. 

Fully  illustrated  with  Engravings  by  the  author,  separ- 
ate sheets  of  engravings  for  transfer  and  practice 
being  added. 

New  Edition,  Neatly  Bound.  30  cents. 

What  to  Do  in  Case  of  Accident. 

What  to  Do  and  How  to  Do  It  in  Case  of  Accident.  A 
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actly what  to  do  in  case  of  accidents,  such  as  Severe  Cuts,  Sprains, 
Dislocations,  Broken  Bones,  Burns  with  Fire,  Scalds,  Burns  with 
Corrosive  Chemicals,  Sunstroke,  Suffocation  by  Foul  Air,  Hanging, 
Drowning,  Frost-Bite,  Fainting,  Stings,  Bites,  Starvation,  Lightning, 
Poisons,  Accidents  from  Machinery,  and  from  the  Falling  of  Scaf- 
folding, Gunshot  Wounds,  etc.,  etc.  It  ought  to  be  in  every  house,  for 
young  and  old  are  liable  to  accident,  and  the  directions  given  in  this 
book  might  be  the  means  of  saving  many  a  valuable  life. 


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Immediately 

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£Ehe  set  weighs  altogether  too  much  to  be  sent  by  mail. 


Shooting  on  the  Wing. 

Plain  Directions  for  Acquiring  the  Art  of  Shooting  on 
the  Wing.  With  Useful  Hints  concerning  all  that  relates 
to  Guns  and  Shooting,  and  particularly  in  regard  to  the 
art  of  Loading  so  as  to  Kill.  To  which  has  been  added 
several  Valuable  and  hitherto  Secret  Eecipes,  of  Great 
Practical  Importance  to  the  Sportsman.  By  an  Old 
Gamekeeper. 

12mo.,  Cloth,  Gilt  Title.       ...      75  cents. 


The  Pistol  as  a  Weapon  of  Defence, 

In  the  House  and  on  the  Koad. 

12mo.,  Cloth.  -        -        -  ,        50  cents. 

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in  the  best  means  of  protecting  themselves  from  the  attacks  of  the 
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this  subject.  Its  contents  are  as  foUows :  The  Pistol  as  a  Weapon  of 
Defence.— The  Carrying  of  Fire- Arms.— Different  kinds  of  Pistols  in 
Market;  How  to  Choose  a  Pistol.— Ammunition,  different  kinds; 
Powder,  Caps,  Bullets,  Copper  Cartridges,  etc.— Best  form  of  Bullet- 
How  to  Load.— Best  Charge  for  Pistols.— How  to  regulate  the 
Charge.— Care  of  the  Pistol ;  how  to  Clean  it.— How  to  Handle  and 
Carry  the  Pistol.— How  to  Learn  to  Shoot.— Practical  use  of  the 
Pistol ;  how  to  Protect  yourself  and  how  to  Disable  your  antagonist. 


Lightning  Rods. 

Plain  Directions  for  the  Construction  and  Erection  of 
Lightning  Kods.  By  John  Phin,  C.  E.,  editor  of  "The 
Young  Scientist,"  author  of  "Chemical  History  of  the 
Six  Days  of  the  Creation,"  etc.  Second  Edition.  En- 
larged and  Fully  Illustrated. 
12mo.,  Cloth,  Gilt  Title.     -        -        -        50  cents. 

This  is  a  simple  and  practical  little  work,  intended  to  convey  just 
fcuch  information  as  will  enable  every  property  owner  to  decide 
whether  or  not  his  buildings  are  thoroughly  protected.  It  is  not 
written  in  the  interest  of  any  patent  or  particular  article  of  manu- 
facture, and  by  following  its  directions,  any  ordinarily  skilful  me< 
chanic  can  put  up  a  rod  that  will  afford  perfect  protection,  and  that 
will  not  infringe  any  patent.  Every  owner  of  a  house  or  barn  oughr 
to  procure  a  copy. 


The  Steel  Square  and  Its  Uses. 

The  Carpenters'  Steel  Square  and  its  Uses  ;  being  a  de- 
scription of  the  Square,  and  its  Uses  in  obtaining  the 
Lengths  and  Bevels  of  all  kinds  of  Kafters,  Hips,  Groins, 
Braces,  Brackets,  Purlins,  Collar-Beams,  and  Jack- 
Eafters.  Also,  its  application  in  obtaining  the  Bevels 
and  Cuts  for  Hoppers,  Spring  Mouldings,  Octagons, 
Stairs,  Diminished  Stiles,  etc.,  etc.,  etc.  Illustrated  by- 
Over  Fifty  Wood-cuts.  By  Fred.  T.  Hodgson,  Editor 
of  the  "  Builder  and  Woodworker." 
Cloth,  Gilt,       -----      75  cents. 

Mechanical  Draughting. 

The  Students'  Illustrated  Guide  to  Practical  Draughting. 
A  Series  of  Practical  Instructions  for  Machinists,  Me- 
chanics, Apprentices,  and  Students  at  Engineering 
Establishments  and  Technical  Institutes.  By  T.  P. 
Pemberton,  Draughtsman  and  Mechanical  Engineer. 
Illustrated  with  Numerous  Engravings. 

Cloth,  Gilt,  $1.00 

This  is  a  simple  but  thorough  book,  by  a  draughtsman  of  twenty- 
five  years'  experience.  It  is  intended  for  beginners  and  self-taught 
students,  as  well  as  for  those  who  pursue  the  study  under  the  direc- 
tion of  a  teacher. 

Map  of  the  Moon. 

This  is  a  copy  of  Webb's  reduction  of  Baer  &  Maedler's 
[celebrated  Map  of  the  Moon.   It  is  engraved  in  the  very 
best  style,  every  feature  being  remarkably  clear  and  dis- 
.tinct.    It  is  accompanied  with  a  small  book,  which  con- 
tains a  description  of  the  various  topographical  features 
shown  in  the  map,  and  forms  an  indispensable  addition 
to  the  library  of  every  Amateur  Astronomer.    Price  of 
Map  and  Descriptive  Book,        -        -        -  50  cents. 
J8®~  As  the  map  was  prepared  for  the  purpose  of  illustrating  the 
monthly  papers  on  "Astronomy  for  Amateurs,"  published  in  the 
Young  Scientist,  it  was  given  as  a  premium  to  all  subscribers  to 
that  journal.  Those  who  received  the  map  with  the  Journal,  and 
desire  to  procure  the  book,  can  obtain  the  latter,  post-paid,  for  20 
cents. 


The  Carpenter's  Steel  Square 

AND  ITS  USES. 


Being  a  description  of  the  Carpenter's  Framing  Square,  giving 
simple  and  easy  methods  of  obtaining  the  Lengths  and  Bevels  of 
all  kinds  of  Rafters,  Hips,  Groins,  Braces,  Brackets,  Purlins,  Collar- 
Beams,  and  Jack-Rafters.  Also,  its  application  in  obtaining  the 
bevels  and  cuts  for  Hoppers,  Spring  Mouldings,  Octagons,  Stairs,  and 
Diminished  Stiles. 

Illustrated  by  over  Fifty  large  and  Clear  Woodcuts. 


By   FRED.   T.  HODGSON, 

Editor  of  the  Builder  and  Wood-  Worker. 


Cloth,  Gilt,        -         --         ----75  cents. 

This  is  the  only  work  of  the  kind  ever  published,  and  must  prove 
of  great  service  to  every  person  who  may  have  to  use  a  Carpenter's 
Square.  Joiners,  Cabinet  makers,  Bricklayers,  Stone  Cutters,  Plas- 
terers, Lumber  Dealers,  Amateurs,  and  all  who  build  a  fence,  tinker  a 
gate,  or  make  a  chicken-coop,  will  find  something  in  this  little  book 
that  will  help  and  aid  them  to  do  their  work  better  and  more  intelli- 
gently than  they  could  without  a  knowledge  of  its  contents. 

Many  difficult  and  troublesome  mathematical  problems  can  be 
solved  by  the  use  of  this  tool,  and  the  methods  of  solving  them  are 
shown  in  the  work.  It  describes  how  Painting,  Plastering,  and  Brick 
Work  can  be  measured,  and  how  many  mechanical  difficulties  can  be 
overcome  with  great  ease.  It  explains  how  Ellipses,  Parabolas, 
Octagons,  Circles,  and  many  other  figures  may  be  described  by  the 
Steel  Square. 

This  is  the  "  book  of  the  period  "  for  all  who  work  in  wood,  and  its 
low  price  places  it  within  the  reach  of  every  journeyman  and  appren- 
tice in  the  land.  The  engravings  are  of  a  high  order,  and  the  whole 
is  printed  on  heavy  calendered  paper. 

INDUSTRIAL  PUBLICATION  COMPANY, 

141  J>ey  Street,  New  York. 


SENT  BY  MAIL  TO  ANY  ADDRESS  ON  RECEIPT  OP  PRICE* 


The  Carpenter's  Steel  Square, 

AND  HOW  TO  USE  IT. 


OPINIONS  OP  THE  PRESS. 

r*  This  little  work  consists  of  a  republication  of  some  papers  contributed  by  its  talented 
author  some  time  ago  to  the  A  merican  Builder \  and  which  were  received  with  so  much 
favor  by  artisans,  for  whom  they  were  written,  as  to  induce  their  author  to  collect  them 
into  the  present  volume."  *******"  The  work  is  well  illustrated  by 
upwards  of  fifty  cuts  which  have  been  well  engraved,  and  can  hardly  fail  to  give  any 
one  an  idea  of  the  capabilities  of  the  steel  square,  and  what  can  be  accomplished  from 
it  when  in  skilful  hands." — Journal  of  Franklin  Institute,  Phila. 

"A  most  valuable  little  treatise  of  70  pages  upon  that  commonplace  subject,  the 
*  steel  square,'  being  a  description  of  that  useful  tool,  and  its  uses  in  obtaining  the  lengths 
and  bevels  of  rafters,  hips,  groins,  braces,  brackets,  purlins,  collar  beams  and  jack  iafters, 
and  its  application  in  obtaining  the  bevels  and  cuts  for  hoppers,  spring  moldings,  octa- 
gons, stairs,  diminished  stiles,  etc.,  illustrated  by  over  50  wood  cuts.  Mr.  Hodgson  has 
succeeded  admirably  in  demonstrating  that  the  study  of  the  value  and  use  of  the 
square  is  by  no  means  the  dry  subject  one  would  suppose,  and  that  as  a  tool  in  the 
hands  of  an  intelligent  workman,  its  possibilities  are  far  beyond  the  standard  usually 
conceded  to  it.  It  is  a  valuable  book  for  the  use  of  the  carpenter,  and  should  be  upon 
the  office  desk  of  every  retailer  of  lumber,  from  the  valuable  hints  it  will  give  him  as  a 
guide  to  his  negotiations  with  his  customers  in  figuring  out  their  wants.  It  is,  in  fact, 
well  adapted  to  the  wants  of  every  man  who  has  a  shed  or  fence  to  erect  upon  his 
premises,  or  who  wishes  to  keep  a  check  upon  his  builder." — Northwestern  Ltcmber- 
man,  Chicago,  III. 

"This  is  a  little  book  that  no  carpenter,  joiner,  cabinetmaker,  or  amateur  wood- 
worker, can  do  without,  if  they  wish  to  keep  up  with  the  times  in  their  several  branches 
of  trade. 

"We  believe  this  is  the  first  and  only  book  that  has  been  written  on  this  subject 
alone,  and  we  must  say,  that  the  duty  of  writing  it  fell  into  good  hands,  as  the  author 
has  handled  his  subject  in  a  masterly  manner.  One  is  struck  with  astonishment  at  the 
number  of  difficult  and  apparently  intricate  problems  this  simple  instrument — the  square — 
is  made  to  solve,  and  in  such  a  manner  that  any  mechanic  who  can  read  the  figures  on  the 
tool  can  work  out  the  solutions.  The  lengths  and  bevels  of  rafters,  hips,  braces, 
trusses,  purlins,  collar  beams,  and  jack  rafters  are  obtained  as  if  by  magic,  and  without 
thought  or  calculation. 

"  The  work  is  handsomely  gotten  up,  printed  on  heavy  white  paper,  substantially 
bound,  and  cleanly  turned  out.  The  some  fifty  odd  wood  cuts  are  almost  equal  to  steel 
engravings,  and  the  whole  get-up  is  a  credit  to  both  author  and  publisher,  and  the  low 
price  at  which  it  is  sold,  (75  cents),  places  it  within  reach  of  every  wood-worker,  no 
matter  how  poor  he  may  be." — Enterprise,  Collingwood,  Ont. 

"  It  is  a  timely  book  on  the  subject  in  hand,  and  we  can  safely  recommend  it  as  com- 
petent to  fill  a  long  felt  vacancy  in  the  mechanics'  library.  The  work  presents  a  valu- 
able collection  of  rules  and  data  connected  with  the  framing  square,  to  the  solution  of 
roofing  problems,  braces,  hoppers,  etc.,  etc." — Orillia  Packet,  Ont. 

"Some  fifty  engravings  aid  in  the  description  of  the  square  and  its  uses  in  obtaining 
lengths  and  bevels  of  all  kinds  ;  also,  its  application  in  obtaining  the  bevels  and  cuts 
for  alj  conceivable  shapes  used  in  the  wood  shops.  Any  wood-worker  possessing  this 
book  will  find  its  cost,  seventy-five  cents,  is  not  to  be  compared  with  its  real  vaL.\  =»nd 
usefulness  in  the  shop." — The  Carriage  Monthly,  Phila. 

"  The  work  is  a  very  valuable  one,  and  should  be  in  the  hands  of  e#>ery  carpenter." — 
Messenger,  Collingwood,  Ont. 

"The  work  will  be  of  very  great  service  to  carpenters  and  builders." — Bulletin^ 
Cottingwood>  Ont. 


ISTEW  DESIGNS 

FOR 


Fret  or  Scroll  Sawyers. 


MR.  F.  f.  HODGSON,  whose  admirable  series  of  articles  on  the  USE  OF  THE 
SCROLL  SAW  are  now  in  course  of  publication  in  the  Young  Scientist,  has  pre- 
pared for  us  a  series  of 

SEVENTEEN  DESIGNS, 

of  which  the  following  is  a  list : 

No.  i. — This  shows  one  side,  back,  and  bottom,  of  a  pen  rack.  It  may  be  made 
of  ebony,  walnut,  or  other  dark  wood. 

No.  2. — Design  for  inlaying  drawer  fronts,  table  tops,  box  lids,  and  many  other 
things.    It  is  a  sumach  leaf  pattern. 

No.  3. — Design  for  a  thermometer  stand.  It  may  be  made  of  any  hard  wood  or 
alabaster.    The  method  of  putting  together  is  obvious. 

No.  4. — This  shows  a  design  for  a  lamp  screen.  The  open  part  may  be  covered 
with  tinted  silk,  or  other  suitable  material,  with  some  appropriate  device  worked.on 
with  the  needle,  or,  if  preferred,  ornaments  may  be  painted  on  the  silk,  etc. 

No.  5. — A  case  for  containing  visiting  cards.     Will  look  best  made  of  white  holly. 

No.  6. — A  placque  stand,    it  may  be  made  of  any  kind  of  dark  or  medium  wood. 

No.  7. — A  design  for  ornaments  suitable  for  a  window  cornice.  It  should  be 
made  of  black  walnut,  and  overlaid  on  some  light  colored  hard  wood. 

No.  8 — A  design  for  a  jewel  casket.  This  will  be  very  pretty  made  of  white  holly 
and  lined  with  blue  velvet.     It  also  looks  well  made  of  ebony  lined  with  crimson. 

No.  9. — Frame.      Will  look  well  made  of  any  dark  wood. 

No.  10. — Frame.  Intended  to  be  made  in  pairs.  Looks  well  made  of  white  holly, 
with  leaves  and  flowers  painted  on  wide  stile. 

No.  11. — Horseshoe.  Can  be  made  of  any  kind  of  wood  and  used  for  a  pen  rack. 
When  decorated  with  gold  and  colors,  looks  very  handsome. 

No.  12. — Design  for  a  hinge  strap.  If  made  of  black  walnut,  and  planted  on  a 
white  or  oaken  door,  will  look  well. 

No.  13. — Design  for  a  napkin  ring.    May  be  made  of  any  kind  of  hard  wood. 

No.  14. — Hinge  strap  for  doors  with  narrow  stiles. 

No.  15. — Centre  ornament  for  panel. 

No.  16. — Corner  ornament  for  panel. 

No.  17. — Key-hole  escutcheon. 

These  designs  we  have  had  photo-lithographed  and  printed  on  good  paper,  so  that 
the  outlines  are  sharp,  and  the  opposite  sides  of  each  design  symmetrical.  Common 
designs  are  printed  from  coarse  wooden  blocks,  and  are  rough  and  unequal,  so  that 
it  is  often  impossible  to  make  good  work  from  them. 

The  series  embraces  over  forty  different  pieces,  and  designs  of  equal  quality  cannot 
be  had  for  less  than  five,  ten  or  fifteen  cents  each.  We  offer  them  for  twenty-five 
cents  for  the  set,  which  is  an  average  price  of  only  one  cent  and  a  half  each. 

Mailed  to  any  address  on  receipt  of  price. 

INDUSTRIAL  PUBLICATION  CO., 


14  Dej  Street,  New  York. 


SHEET  NO.  I. 


SHEET  NO.  2. 


REDUCED  FIGURES  OF 

NEW  DESIGNS  FOR  FRET   OR   SCROLL  SAWYERS. 

SIZE  OF  SHEETS  28  BY  22  INCHES. 

{For  description  see  preeeding  page,) 


THE  WORKSHOP  COMPANION. 

A  Collection  of  Useful  and  Reliable  Recipes, 
Rules,  Processes,  Uletnods,  Wrinkles, 
and  Practical  Hints, 

FOH  THE  HOJJSEHOEJD  *1*YI>  THE  SHOP. 


Abyssinian  Gold;— Accidents,  General  Rules;— Alabaster,  how  to  work,  polish  and 
clean; — Alcohol; — Alloys,  rules  for  making,  and  ?6  recipes; — Amber,  how  to  work, 
polish  and  mend; — Annealing  and  Hardening  gbss,  copper,  steel,  etc.; — Arsenical 
Soap; — Arsenical  Powder; — Beeswax,  how  to  bleach; — Blackboards,  how  to  make  ; — 
Brass,  how  to  work,  polish,  color,  varnish,  whiten,  deposit  by  electricity,  clean,  etc., 
etc.; — Brazing  and  Soldering; — Bronzing  brass,  wood,  leather,  etc.; — Burns,  how  to 
cure; — Case-hardening; — Catgut,  how  prepared; — Cements,  general  rules  for  using,  and 
56  recipes  for  preparing; — Copper,  working,  welding,  depositing; — Coral,  artificial; — 
Cork,  working; — Crayons  for  Blackboards; — Curling  brass,  iron,  etc.; — Liquid  Cu- 
ticle;— Etching  copper,  steel,  glass; — Eye,  accidents  to;- -Fires,  to  prevent; — Clothes  on 
Fire; — Fireproof  Dresses; — Fly  Papers; — Freezing  Mixtures,  6  recipes; — Fumigating 
Pastils; — Gilding  metal,  leather,  wood,  etc.; — Glass,  cutting,  drilling,  turning  in  the 
lathe,  fitting  stoppers,  removing  tight  stoppers,  powdering,  packing,  imitating  ground 
glass,  washing  glass  vessels,  etc. ; — Grass,  Dry,  to  stain; —Guns,  to  make  shoot  close, 
to  keep  from  rusting,  to  brown  the  barrels  of,  etc.,  etc.; — Handles,  to  fasten ;— Inks, 
rules  for  selecting  and  preserving,  and  34  recipes  for; — Ink  Eraser; — Inlaying; — Iron, 
forging,  welding,  case-hardening,  zincing,  tinning,  do.  in  the  cold,  brightening,  etc., 
etc. ; — Ivory,  to  work,  polish,  bleach,  etc. ; — Javelle  Watery  -  Jewelry  and  Gilded  Ware, 
care  of,  cleaning,  coloring,  etc. ; — Lacquer,  how  to  make  and  apply; — Laundry  Gloss ; — 
Skeleton  Leaves; — Lights,  signal  and  colored,  also  for  tableaux,  photography,  etc.,  25 
recipes; — Lubricators,  selection  of,  4  recipes  for; — Marble,  working,  polishing,  clean- 
ing;— Metals,  polishing ; — Mirrors,  care  of,  to  make,  pure  silver,  etc.,  etc.; — Nickel, 
to  plate  with  without  a  battery; — Noise,  prevention  of; — Pairting  Bright  Metals; — 
Paper,  adhesive,  barometer,  glass,  tracing,  transfer,  waxed,  etc.  ;•— Paper,  to  clean,  take 
ceases  out  of,  remove  water  stains,  mount  drawing  paper,  to  prepare  for  varnishing, 
etc.,  etc. ; — Patina; — Patterns,  to  trace; — Pencils,  indelible; — Pencil  Marks,  to  fix  ; — 
Pewter; — Pillows  for  Sick  Room,  cheap  and  good; — Plaster-of-Favis,  how  to  work  ; — 
Poisons,  antidotes  for,  12  recipes; — Polishing  Powders,  preparation  and  use  of  (six 
pages); — Resins,  their  properties,  etc.; — Saws,  how  to  sharpen  ;- -Sieves ; — Shellac, 
properties  and  uses  of; — Silver,  properties  of,  oxidized,  old,  cleaning,  to  remove  ink 
stains  from,  to  dissolve  from  plated  goods,  etc.,  etc. ; — Silvering  mecals,  leather,  iron, 
etc.  ; — Size,  preparation  of  various  kinds  of; — Skins,  tanning  and  curing,,  do  with  haif 
on; — Stains,  to  remove  from  all  kinds  of  goods; — Steel,  tempering  and  working  (six 
pages)  ; — Tin,  properties,  methods  of  working; — Varnish,  21  recipes  for;  —  Varnishirg, 
directions  for; — Voltaic  Batteries; — Watch,  care  of; — Waterproofing,  7  recipes  for; — 
Whitewash; — Wood  Floo/s,  waxing,  staining,  and  polishing; — Wood,  poUshiug,  ^ 
Wood,  staining,  17  recipes; — Zinc,  to  pulverize,  black  varnish  for. 

164  closely-printed  pages,  neatly  bound.  Sent  bv  mail  for  36  cerum 
(postage  stamps  received).  Specimen  pages  free. 

INDUSTRIAL  PUBLICATION  COMPANY, 

14  Dey  Street,  New  York. 


Hand-Book  of  Urinary  Analysis. 

CHEMICAL  AND  MICROSCOPICAL. 
For  the  Use  of  Physicians,  Medical  Students,  and  Clinical  Assistants. 
By  FRANK  M.  DEEMS,  M.  D., 
Laboratory  Instructor  in  the  Medical  Department  of  the  University  of  New  York; 
Member  of  the  N.  Y.  County  Medical  Society;  Member  of  the  New  York 
Microscopical  Society,  etc. 
Illustrated,  Limp  Cloth,  Gilt,  25  cts* 
This  Manual  presents  a  plan  for  the  Systematic  Examination  of  Liquid  Urine,  Urinary 
Deposits,  and  Calculi.    It  is  compiled  with  the  intention  of  supplying  a  concise  guide, 
which,  from  its  small  compass  and  tabulated  arrangement,  renders  it  admirably  adapted 
for  use,  both  as  a  bed-side  reference  book  and  a  work-table  companion.    The  author 
is  well  known  as  one  who  has  had  for  several  years  a  very  extended  experience  as  a 
teacher  of  this  important  branch  of  physical  diagnosis,  and  he  has  compiled  a  manual 
which  will  serve  to  lessen  the  difficulties  in  the  way  of  the  beginner,  and  save  valuable 
time  to  the  busy  practitioner.    Free  by  Mail  on  receipt  of  price. 


JUST  PUBLISHED. 

HOW  TO  SEE  WITH  THE  MICROSCOPE. 

Being  Useful  Hints  Connected  with  the  Selection  and  Use  of  the  Instrument;  also 
Some  Discussion  of  the  Claims  and  Capacity  of  Modern  High-Angled  Objectives, 
as  Compared  with  those  of  Medium  Aperture.    With  Instructions  as  to  the 
Selection  and  Use  of  American  Object-Glasses  of  Wide  Apertures. 
By  J.   EDWARDS   SMITH,    M.  D. 
Professor  of  Histology  and  Microscopy;  Corresponding  Member  San  Francisco, 
Dunkirk,  and  other  Microscopical  Societies,  etc.,  etc. 
Handsomely  Illustrated. 
Prof.  Smith  is  well  known  as  the  most  expert  manipulator  in  this  country,  as  regards 
objectives  of  wide  aperture,  and  in  this  volume  he  gives,  in  a  clear  and  practical  man- 
ner, all  the  directions  necessary  to  attain  the  surprising  results  which  he  has  achieved. 
No  microscopist  that  uses  anything  better  than  French  triplets  can  afford  to  be  without  it. 
JPrice,  $2.00.    Free  by  Mail  on  receipt  of  price.  Address 


Jo  be  co7npleted  in  Six  Monthly  Parts.    Price  $15.00,  payable  in  advance. 
PART  I.   IS  NOW  READY. 

A  Manual  of  the  Infusoria, 

Including  a  Description  of  all  Known  Flagellate,  Ciliate,  and  Tentaculiferous 
Protozoa,  British  and  Foreign,  and  an  Account  of  the  Organization  and 
Affinities  of  the  Sponges. 
By  W.  SAVILLE  KENT,  F.L.S.,  F.Z.S.,  F.R.M.S. 
This  important  work,  the  result  of  many  years'  careful  labor  and  investigation  on  the 
part  of  the  author,  will,  it  is  hoped,  meet  a  want  which  has  long  existed  among  micro- 
scopists.    It  will  consist  of  a  volume  of  text  extending  to  about  800  pages  super  royal 
8vo.,  and  an  atlas  of  48  plates,  containing  upwards  of  2,000  figures. 

Wishing  to  lend  what  little  assistance  we  can  to  the  publication  of  this  valuable  work, 
we  have  subscribed  for  a  large  number  of  copies,  which  we  offer  to  the  microscopists 
of  the  United  States  at  the  prices  named  above.  As  the  book  is  large  and  very  expen- 
sive, the  publisher  will  issue  very  few  copies  beyond  those  for  which  subscriptions  are 
received,  and  consequently  the  price  will  undoubtedly  be  advanced  after  the  work  has 
been  completed. 

INDUSTRIAL  PUBLICATION  CO.,  14  Dey  Street,  New  York, 

AGENTS  FOR  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


SCIENTIFIC  LIBRARY 

FOR  YOUNG-  PEOPLE. 

MANUALS  OF  ELEMENTARY  SCIENCE. 

Fcap.  8vo.,  128  pp.,  with  Illustrations,  Limp  Cloth,  40  cents  each, 
S^SENT  BY  MAIL,  POST  FREE,  ON  RECEIPT  OF  PRICE. 


MATTER  AND  MOTION. 

By  J.  Clerk  Maxwell,  M.A.,  Trinity  College,  Cambridge. 

This  work  is  a  simple  and  yet  thorough  and  accurate  introduction  to  the  study 
of  Physical  Science  in  general,  by  one  oi  the  ablest  scientists  of  Great  Britain. 

ASTRONOMY. 

By  W.  H.  Christie,  M.A.,  Trinity  College,  Cambridge;  the  Royal  Observatory, 
Greenwich. 

The  illustrations  in  this  book  will  give  the  young  student  a  very  clear  idea  of  the 
actual  arrangement  of  the  heavenly  bodies  and  of  their  motions. 

CHEMISTRY. 

By  Albert  J.  Bernays. 

Describes  a  great  many  simple  and  interesting  experiments,  as  well  as  discusses 
the  general  principles  of  the  science. 

BOTANY. 

By  Robert  Bentley,  Professor  of  Botany  in  Kings  College,  London. 

This  little  book  on  Botany  has  been  prepared  with  the  intention  of  supplying  young 
boys  and  girls  with  a  simple  introduction  to  the  study  of  plants.  It  is  written  in  as 
plain  language  as  possible,  and  is  very  fully  illustrated. 

ZOOLOGY. 

By  Alfred  Newton,  M.A.,  F.R.S.,  Professor  of  Zoology  and  Comparative  Anatomy 
in  the  University  of  Cambridge. 

Full  of  interesting  facts,  stated  in  simple  and  forcible  language. 

PHYSIOLOGY. 

By  F.  le  Gros  Clarke,  F.R.S.,  St.  Thomas's  Hospital. 

The  object  of  this  elementary  treatise  is  to  teach  some  of  the  simple  truths  of  Human 
Physiology,  such  as  may  be  intelligible  without  any  extended  knowledge  of  other 
branches  of  science.  But  it  is  hoped,  by  the  avoidance  of  technical  terms,  when 
possible,  and  their  definition  when  essential,  and  also  by  a  familiar  explanation  of  any 
natural  law  which  may  be  referred  to,  that  there  will  be  no  material  difficulty  in  under- 
standing the  simple  principles  and  details  which  will  be  taught  in  these  pages.— 
Author's  Introduction. 


scientific  libeaey  FOB  young  people.  (Continued), 


GEOLOGY. 

By  the  Rev.  T.  G.  Bonney,  M.A.,  F.G.S.,  Fellow  and  late  Tutor  of  St.  John's 
College,  Cambridge. 

In  the  following  pages  I  have  attempted  to  set  down  briefly  the  principal  facts 
of  Geology,  and  the  conclusions  which  have  been  drawn  from  them ;  to  indicate  the 
nature  of  the  earth's  crust,  the  processes  which  have  acted  and  are  still  acting  upon  it, 
and  the  probable  history  of  that  little  portion  of  it  on  which  we  live.  I  was  requested, 
before  commencing  my  task,  to  avoid  the  use  of  long  words  and  the  discussion  of 
doubtful  points,  and  have  done  my  best  to  attend  to  this  request. — Author's  Preface, 

CRYSTALLOGRAPHY- 

By  Henry  Palin  Gurney,  M.A.,  Clare  College,  Cambridge. 

Crys  allography  has  been  hitherto  strangely  neglected  in  this  country  as  a  branch 
of  education.  Its  great  importance  to  the  chemist,  the  physicist,  and  the  geologist  cannot 
be  questioned,  and  it  is  full  of  interest  for  all.  No  study  is  better  calculated  to  sharpen 
at  once  the  observing  and  the  reasoning  faculties  of  youth.  There  is  nothing  repulsive 
in  crystals.  Their  beauty  is  often  more  attractive,  as  it  is  more  enduring,  than  that 
of  the  fairest  flowers.  Their  symmetry  illustrates  the  rhythm  and  the  harmony  that 
pervade  the  universe.  They  have  already  suggested  the  most  important  law  of  modern 
chemistry.  They  tell  us  more  about  the  properties  of  atoms  than  any  other  form  of 
substance. — Author's  Preface. 

SPECTROSCOPE,  THE  WORK  OF  THE, 

By  Richard  A.  Proctor,  Esq. 

I  have  endeavored  to  make  this  little  treatise  on  the  Spectroscopic  Analysis  clear  and 
simple  for  beginners,  but  at  the  same  time  accurate,  and  as  complete  as  possible  within 
so  limited  a  space.  *  *  *  I  have  endeavored  to  give  a  full  account  of  all  the  prin- 
ciples on  which  the  application  of  spectroscopy  depends,  and  also  of  all  the  chief 
methods  of  observation  and  their  results. — Author's  Preface. 

ELECTRICITY. 

By  Fleeming  Jenkins,  F.R.S.,  Professor  of  Engineering  in  the  University  of  Edin- 
burgh. 

Gives  the  most  recent  views  of  scientific  men,  and  an  account  of  the  latest  dis- 
coveries and  the  principles  upon  which  they  are  founded — such  as  the  telephone, 
microphone,  photophone,  etc. 

l^p^These  ten  volumes  form  the  most  complete  popular  Scientific  Library  now 

accessible  to  the  student.    If  the  ten  volumes  are  ordered  at  one  time  they  will  be  sent 

free  to  any  part  of  the  country  for  $3.50. 

INDUSTRIAL  PUBLICATION  COMPANY, 

14  I>ey  Street,  New  York. 


A  New  and  Live  Book  on  the  Chin. 
Just  Published.  Price  75  cents,  in  cloth. 

PLAIN  DIRECTIONS 

FOR  ACQUIRING  THE  ART  OF 

SHOOTING  ON  THE  WING. 

With  Useful  Hints  concerning  all  that  rtlates  to  Guns  and  Shoot* 
ing,  and  particularly  in  regard  to  the  art  of  Loading  so  as 
to  Kill.    To  which  has  been  added  several  Valuable 
and  hitherto  Secret  Recipes,  of  Great  Practical 
Importance  to  the  Sportsman. 

By  AN  OLD  GAMEKEEPER. 

Sent  free  by  mail  on  receipt  of  price. 


Opinions  of  the  Fret*. 

The  directions  are  so  plain  that  they  cannot  well  Jbe  mistaken, 
and  they  are  expressed  in  the  fewest  possible  words.*—  Turf,  Meld 
and  Farm, 

FaciDg  the  title-page  is  one  of  the  handsomest,  best-executed 
woodcuts,  we  have  ever  seen.  It  is  entitled  "The  Wounded 
Snipe,"  and  almost  equals  a  steel  engraving.— Baptist  Union, 

From  its  pages  we  should  think  even  the  most  experienced 
sportsman  might  derive  some  new  ideas,  while  the  beginner  will 
find  it  an  invaluable  assistant. — Country  Gentleman, 

For  concise  instructions  as  to  how  to  shoot,  to  select,  load, 
carry,  and  keep  a  gun  in  order,  etc.,  it  cannot  be  surpassed. — 
Western  Rural. 

A  pleasantly  written,  and,  it  seems,  to  us,  correct  and  practical 
treatise  on  the  sportsman's  art;  a  modest  little  book,  but  one  from 
the  reading  of  which  a  good  deal  of  the  right  kind  of  knowledge 
is  to  be  gained. — Appleton's  Journal. 

*  A  practical  and  well-written  handbook,  especially  adapted  for 
tne  use  of  young  sportsmen,  as  it  gives  sensible  advice  on  the 
manipulation  of  firearms,  and  the  rules  and  etiquette  of  t&e  field. 
Scientific  American* 


I 


I    NEW  SERIES   OF  PRACTICAL  BOOKS, 


WORK  MANUALS 


The  intention  of  the  publishers  is  to  give  in  this  Series  a  number  of  small  books  which 
will  give  Thorough  and  Reliable  Information  in  the  plainest  possible  language,  upon  the 
ARTS  OF  EVERYDAY  LIF  IC. 
Each  volume  will  be  by  some  one  who  is  not  only  practically  familiar  with  his 
subject,  but  who  has  the  ability  to  make  it  clear  to  others.  The  volumes  will  each  con- 
tarn  from  50  to  75  pages;  will  be  neatly  and  clearly  printed  on  good  paper,  and  bound 
in  tough  and  durable  binding.    The  price  will  be  25  cents  each. 

The  following  are  the  titles  of  the  volumes,  and  the  order  in  wh.clitheyw.il  be 
issued.     No.  I.  is  ready  for  delivery,  No.   TT.  is  in  press,  and  the  others  w.ll  follow 
at  short  intervals. 
I.    Cements  and  Glue. 

\  Practical  Treatise  on  the  Preparation  and  Use  of  All  Kinds  of  Cements,  Glue 
and  Paste.    By  John  Phin,  Editor  of  the  Young  Scientist  and  the  American 
Journal  of  Microscopy. 
Every  mechanic  and  householder  will  find  this  volume  of  almost  everyday  use.  It 
contains  nearly  200  recipes  for  the  preparation  of  Cements  for  almost  every  conceivable 
purpose. 

TI.    The  Slide  Rule,  and  How  to  Use  It. 

This  is  a  compilation  of  Explanations,  Rules  and  Instructions  suitable  for  mechanics 
and  others  interested  in  the  industrial  arts.  Rules  are  given  for  the  measurement  of 
all  kinds  of  boards  and  planks,  timber  in  the  round  or  square,  glaziers  work  and 
painting,  brickwork,  paviors' work,  tiling  and  slating  the  measurement  of  vessels  of 
various8 shapes,  the  wedge,  inclined  planes,  wheels  and  axles,  evers,  the  weighing  and 
measurement  of  metals  and  all  solid  bodies,  cylinders,  cones,  globes  octagon  rules  and 
formula,  the  measurement  of  circles  and  a  comparison  of  French  and  English  measure  , 
with  much  other  information,  useful  to  builders,  carpenters,  bricklayers,  glaziers, 
paviors,  slaters,  machinists  and  other  mechanics. 

Possessed  of  this  little  Book  and  a  good  Slide  Rule,  mechanics  might  carry  in  then 
pocke^l  hundreds  of  times  the  power  of  cafculation  that  they  now  have  in  then- 
heads,  and  the  use  of  the  instrument  is  very  easily  acquired. 

III.  Construction,  Use  and  Care  of  Drawing:  Instruments. 

Being  a  Treatise  on  Draughting  Instruments,  with  Rules  for  their  Use and 
Caref  Explanations  of  Scales,  Sectors  and  Protractors  Together  with  Memor- 
anda for  Draughtsmen,  Hints  on  Purchasing  Paper,  Ink,  Ins  ruments  Penc Is 
etc  Also  a  Price  List  of  all  materials  required  by  Draughtsmen.  Illustrated 
with  twenty-four  Explanatory  Illustrations.    By  Fred.  1.  Hodgson. 

IV.  Plaster :  Hoav  to  Make  and  How  to  Use  It. 

V.  Hints  for  Painters  and  Paperhangers. 

VI.  Rules,    Tables,    Data    and    Memoranda    for    Mechanics  and 

Others.  (Parti.) 

VII.  The  Construction  and  Use  of  Saws. 

With  1  )irections  for  Filing,  Setting,  etc. 
VI  IT.     Pules,   Tables,    Data  and    Memoranda  for    Mechanics  and 
Others.    (Part  II.) 

INDUSTRIAL  PUBLICATION  CO., 

!».  0.  Box  ^852.  14  Dey  Street,  New  York. 


